James J. Hellmold does not believe in political talk; he believes in action. That is why the veteran lawman believes he is the best candidate to serve as the Los Angeles County Sheriff.
Hellmold has 25 years experience in the sheriff’s department, primarily on the front lines as a deputy protecting and serving local communities including Lynwood, Compton and Watts. Currently he is the assistant sheriff of the department, where he leads all of the patrol and detective commands throughout Los Angeles County.
A major goal for Hellmold is to bring remarkable reform to the department. He said that there is a lot of work to be done to achieve that goal, with an emphasis on the phrase “a lot.”
“I not only want to reform the sheriff’s department, but the entire criminal justice system,” Hellmold said. “Yes, there have been some serious problems with the sheriff’s department, and I have been brought in after the fact, to work with the jail commission to implement reforms because of my modern, progressive approach.”
Hellmold believes in listening to the community to find out what the issues are. He welcomes residents to reach out to him so that there can be a trust between community members and the sheriff’s department. He does not view the job as simply catching criminals and putting people behind bars, but he is more of a community leader who is creating a positive environment.
Hellmold does not shy away from the point that there have been major issues between law enforcement officers and African Americans. He is looking to make the proper changes on the department’s end to be more fair.
“We’re mass incarcerating people for minor offenses as opposed to rehabilitating or providing educational or jobs opportunities,” Hellmold said. “Even in the jails through education-based incarceration, let’s teach life skills and anger management.”
Mentorship has been a key component of Hellmold’s strategy. He has coached youth sports teams for years, and he has strongly encouraged deputies that he commands to do the same. By performing that community service, the deputies have formed relationships with the younger generation who could just as easily view them as villains.
“They need to be lifted up by law enforcement, not torn down,” Hellmold said. “And there has been a total turnaround in the areas that I commanded as far as the way our deputies support our youth that we serve.”
Hellmold has not had an issue working in the toughest areas, where children need the most mentorship, and he does not turn anybody way.
“Lets face it. A lot of our kids have a family history of gang involvement, and we don’t care,” Hellmold said. “What we do is lift each other up. When they see us being mentors in the community, that’s when they build that trust.”
While Hellmold does not view the sheriff as a political office, he does recognize that politics are involved.
“It’s a nonpartisan race, but as a Democrat, I have incorporated my Democratic values of education, rehabilitation, and not conducting business as usual, but reaching out to the community and working to solve problems as opposed to mass incarceration. That serves no purpose but to fracture relationships between law enforcement and the community.”
Because of Hellmold’s efforts in the community, he has received endorsements from Compton Mayor Aja Brown, civil rights activist Connie Rice, and community organizer “Sweet” Alice Harris.
“They’ve seen me on the front lines, rolling up my sleeves, working very closely in African American communities, and communities throughout Los Angeles, doing front-line work,” Hellmold said. “Volunteering at homeless shelters, coaching inner city kids in football, and strengthening the relationship between law enforcement and the community, as opposed to overreaching for minor offenses.”
Hellmold has impacted crime and mentored the youth for 25 years, and feel his leadership abilities make him a legitimate candidate for this position.
