Police officers will be walking up and down Westwood Village and
stopping by shops for the occasional cookie or donut ““ if
many community organizers and business owners have their way.
Crimes committed in professional and medical buildings in
Westwood and Century City have prompted West Los Angeles Police to
release a community crime alert in regards to office thefts and
burglaries, and lead community activists to advocate for foot
police in the Village.
Last month there were two attempted burglaries in the Westwood
Professional Building on Gayley, according to building owner Scott
Liebert, which raised concerns about the Village’s
sanctuary-like image as a crime-free area.
One of the attempts involved a suspect in the office’s
courtyard throwing a brick at a dentist’s office.
The other involved a couple attempting to jimmy the locks of an
office. Upon arresting them, West LAPD officer Pak discovered other
stolen merchandise in the suspects’ vehicle.
In neither case were the suspects able to enter the building,
said Liebert.
Westwood hasn’t had a foot patrol in recent years, and its
forefront presently appears grim.
“We are doing everything we can do to put a full-time foot
(patrol) back in Westwood,” said LAPD Senior Lead Officer for
Westwood, Michael Wang, a UCLA graduate.
LAPD has been especially understaffed in recent years, and it
simply doesn’t have the resources to devote a relatively
crime-free area such as Westwood the luxury of a foot patrol, Wang
said.
“We are down several thousand officers,” said
Officer Montoya of LAPD Media Relations.
Wang pointed out that although Westwood has a shortage of
officers, it managed to have a 5 percent decrease in crime during
2001-02.
Another reason for the Village’s interest in a foot patrol
is to keep panhandlers from bothering prospective shoppers,
merchants said.
Westwood merchants also said homelessness is one of the major
concerns they would like to see addressed by foot patrol.
This was one of the issues people were able to approach the UCPD
community service center about. With the demise of the Business
Improvement District, the community service center was forced to
close. It was staffed by a full-time police officer and was
receptive to complaints from residents and visitors in the
Village.
Any civilian has the right to ask for more patrol in an area
they frequent. The jurisdiction’s senior lead officer can
then submit a formal request for extra patrol, but depending on
budget constraints it may or may not be implemented, Montoya
said.