As Westwood merchants deal with theft and quality-of-life
issues, the West Los Angeles police department has responded by
appointing a new senior lead officer.
Three years after hoping to get the position that went to
Michael Wang, Michael Moore was promoted from acting to official
senior lead officer of the West Los Angeles Police Department last
week.
Moore spent the last of his 13 years with LAPD in West Los
Angeles. He said one of his earliest beats was as a foot patrol
officer in Westwood and called it “the finest time of my
career.”
As he introduced the new Westwood foot patrol officers at a
Business Watch meeting last month, he said he remembered how
“the problems of the village became my problems.”
Those problems are his once again, now that he has been
promoted, and this year university police turned over much of its
patrol duties to the LAPD.
Recent thefts in Westwood have ranged from a copycat burglary at
Morgan & Co. Jewellers, to shoplifting problems at video and
women’s clothing stores.
Moore said two burglars smashed through the window of Morgan
& Co. Jewellers with a sledgehammer, just as the suspect of the
previous burglary there had, but he does not believe the suspects
of the two crimes were related.
The burglars in the July 31 crime grabbed a $10,600 watch before
speeding off with a third suspect in a white 1988 Toyota Tercel.
They were not apprehended as they drove the wrong way out of the
alley, past people setting up for the Farmers Market. Moore
believes a cell phone one burglar dropped at the crime scene will
lead to the suspects.
“There’s probably a lot of clues from that,”
he said.
Moore said theft on a smaller scale has also been a recent
problem for some Westwood businesses.
“Victoria’s Secret and Ann Taylor (Loft) have been
plagued with little thefts; people are blatantly going in with a
bag and grabbing,” said Moore.
Victoria’s Secret, Ann Taylor and Morgan and Co. Jewellers
stores declined to comment on the reported thefts.
Haim Arazi, owner of J&M, a women’s clothing store on
Westwood Boulevard said he believes patrolling officers keep his
store safe even if they don’t enter his store.
“I just need them to be aware, as far as safety,” he
said.
Moore also said Blockbuster Video and Hollywood Video have had
recent shoplifting problems.
Natashia Betts, manager of Hollywood Video, said her store had
problems with two shoplifters, as store policy prohibited employees
from running out after the thieves.
Betts said she was disappointed by how long it took officers to
arrive after she called them.
However, other merchants in the area believe the patrols are
effective.
“It’s been improving from four months ago,”
said Tony Aguilar, manager of Jerry’s Famous Deli.
He said panhandlers used to enter the restaurant and beg
customers for money, but now, “we don’t see that much
anymore.”
Though West LAPD has discouraged some homeless from panhandling
in Westwood, Moore said it is more satisfactory for him to see them
get help than move further downtown.
He said he took Ms. Thomas, a partially blind, local homeless
woman, to the hospital for evaluation.
He hopes she will stay and get help, “otherwise
she’ll end up back on the street with another pile of garbage
and rats,” he said.
Moore said while Westwood has its occasional problems, the area
is “very low on crime when you compare it to the rest of the
city.”
“Westwood is like an extended mall: There is not any mall
where shoplifting doesn’t take place,” said Moore.