COMMUNITY BASED POLICE MEETING

May 9, 2007

The meeting was conducted by Senior Lead Officer Drake Madison and attended by members of the Del Rey community.
1,)Gloria Prado from Councilperson Rosendahl’s office presented City of Los Angeles certificates of appreciation to previous Senior Lead Officer Pete Llanes and community members Elvira Reyna, Raquel Esquivel and in abstentia community member Mr. Sanchez (Sanchez Market).
2.) There was a discussion of graffiti on the bike path along La Ballona Creek. It was suggested that the Bike Patrol from LAPD cover it on its way to Venice Beach but Officer Madison stated that the Bike Patrol drives to Venice Beach in order to be instantly mobile for sudden changes in assignment.
3.) Students from Mar Vista Gardens are going to help eradicate the graffiti on Slauson Ave.
4.) The vacant land from the demolished Stoner-Culver intersection has become an eyesore. The trash has been picked up as of today, but the plastic sheeting is torn and filled with graffiti. Officer Madison wondered why the sheeting was there. If the land is kept up, there is no need to hide it with sheeting. A community member will email him the name and address of the property owner.
5.) SLO Madison has been unable to follow through on checking up on the recyclables person on Slauson. He said that he has a big job to do and to bear with him. The SLOs have been spread around and asked to be involved with many citywide activities.
6.) Officer Madison had set up to do a big check with Health and Safety on the produce trucks in the area on May 1st, but the demonstration on that day diverted the persons necessary to do that. Since this is done in conjunction with Health & Safety, which needs 3 months prior notice, it will be rescheduled.
7.) The alley on McLaughlin seems to be mostly clear of graffiti, but the city trash cans there are covered with tagging. Officer Madison said he would look into having the city drop off a can and pick up the one to be repainted.
8.) Parents need to be more careful dropping off and picking up children at Braddock Drive School. One parent felt parents should be given a ticket to be waived in lieu of volunteering at the school.
9.) There is continuous graffiti on the Gas Company wall, as there is on both sides of the 90 wall near Centinela. As this area is an area of multiple jurisdictions (L.A. City, County, Cal Trans & Culver City) it is sometimes an effort to figure out who is responsible for which wall.
10.)Gangs have not been a significant problem lately due to the gang units working well to keep them in check. The police arrested 2 persons (one a parolee & the other with methamphetamine on his possession) and they were taken to jail.
11.) Officer Madison took pride in the fact that our area, A49, is looking really nice!
12.) Two breakins, on in Mar Vista and the other near Culver City High, were mentioned as possible home invasions. However, Officer Madison said it appears that the persons may have known the homeowners, as specific items known only to visitors to the house were taken. These incidents are under continuing investigation.
13.) Three teenaged males (16 to 18?) have been seen continuing to loiter and look into homes on Wagner Street where it intersects with Lindblade Street. This is generally between the hours of 12:30 and 2:30 in the afternoon. Officer Madison would look into it. The police were called about this last week.
14.) Motorhomes in which people are living continue to be a problem. At this time it is on Gilmore between Grandview and Lindblade, although it is a problem in the area. It is against the law to live in a motorhome on city streets and the police should be called. These persons feel they have 72 hours and then have to move, but it is illegal for any amount of time to live in a motorhome on any city street.
15.) The next Community Based Police meeting will be on June 13, 2007, at 7:00 p.m. at the Pacific Division Station at the corner of Centinela and Culver Blvd. The meeting is on the 2nd floor and the desk officer can direct you to the location. Officer Madison said that he plans on having these meetings the 2nd Wednesday of every month, barring unusual circumstances like tactical alert, etc.