Steiner Asks Sheriff to Review Department’s Arsenal

In the wake of the North Hollywood bank robbery that exploded into a gun battle, William G. Steiner, chairman of the Orange County Board of Supervisors, has asked Sheriff Brad Gates to appraise his department’s weaponry.

The firefight that raged on suburban streets last Friday morning has raised questions in Los Angeles--and now in Orange County--about the ability of police officers to contend with better-armed criminals.

Steiner said Gates offered to report back in two weeks on his department’s arsenal, both at the street patrol level and within the special tactical units called in for major confrontations.

“Faced with the new realities, the escalation of violence with the criminal element, I asked the sheriff if we had sufficient firepower and resources to deal with these incidents,” Steiner said Tuesday.

Gates could not be reached for comment.

Sheriff’s Lt. Ron Wilkerson said he has not talked to Gates about the two-week study. However, Wilkerson said the Sheriff’s Department is constantly evaluating its ability to deal with well-armed criminals.

Steiner said his question was inspired by last week’s images of two hooded gunman in full body armor striding through the small-arms fire of frustrated police officers.

The robbers were finally gunned down, but not before injuring 17 officers and civilians.

“I’ve lived in the Los Angeles area since I was 5, and I’ve never seen anything like this,” Steiner said. “It was shocking.”