S-T+ NEARBY NEIGHBORH👀D WATCH MEETING NOTES!

Sixteen residents attended the 10:30am "Tacos with a Cop" meeting at Joselito's Mexican Restaurant in Tujunga to hear Senior Lead Officers (SLOs) Gloria Caloca (Tujunga) and Will Godoy (Sunland) deliver crime stats and answer questions. CD7 Senior Deputy Ricardo Flores updated us on city matters.

We lament the passing of Susan Denning, a Tujunga senior who took an active interest in Neighborhood Watch, policed her own apartment complex, and attended STNC's traffic committee. We'll miss her voice, her persistence and spunk. Safe travels, Ms. D.!

►► TUJUNGA

SLO Caloca noted that overall crimes in Tujunga are down from 115 last May to just 86 this May.

Grand thefts auto (GTA) are down by 15.

Foothill Div. ranks #3 of 7 in LAPD Valley Bureau. West Valley had 70 major crimes, Mission 59.

Foothill Div. traffic accidents  are UP from 4 in March to 7 in April.

Traffic fatalities are down from 3 to 1, same period.

DUI-related accidents are down from 1 to 0!

But three Foothill intersections in S-T suffered traffic deaths this year: Scoville, McVine and Hillhaven.

Officer Caloca's experience in traffic court is disheartening. Judges find more violators not guilty based on offenders' imaginative excuses. One who ran a red light—without license or insurance, and driving Mom’s car—fought every step of court procedures. However, this proves heavy cash fines are a potent deterrent.

Caloca implored Teslaowners to ensure all cameras are turned on when parked. They can ID your own car's thieves or vandals, and have even helped police solve nearby crimes.

Beware when parking your vehicle to hike our beautiful trails. Leave nothing valuable in your car and certainly nothing in sight. Leave doors UN-locked so thieves won’t have to break a window to search for goods.

Removal of gang graffiti near Bolton Hall was reported as too slow. When we submit MANY reports through MyLA311, we hasten the handling of problem situations.

A resident reported seeing an unattended  toddler run loose  at a car wash. His supposed babysitter was begging change and looked to be on drugs. The man was watching the endangered child for his sister. Resident hopes to find out where he lives. Officer Caloca said to call DCFS anonymously.

LAPD was called to deal with an elderly lady found disoriented at a local gas station. Thanks to Facebook postings with her photo, a resident who knew the family called in, and the family was soon reunited!

Caloca added that dementia patients may need an on-body tracker, say in jewelry or a jacket pocket. ID labels can also be sewn into their clothes.

►►SUNLAND:

Officer Godoy said Part One (serious) crimes were 147, now 139.

He said far too many crimes occur because people leave keys in cars when stopping for gas or coffee, or even warming up in front of their home!

MAKE YOUR REPORTS to LAPD!!

Even though Sunland's homeless population is small compared to communities west of us and in Central LA, they remainOfficer Godoy's largest source of activity. He reiterates that your and my ongoing reports—through MyLA311 and to him directly—save LAPD time and guide officers more rapidly to active or potential trouble spots.

☼ On 18 May, a transient twisted the hand of a resident who was doing cleanup! LAPD arrived in 17 minutes, but suspect was gone on arrival (GOA). An officer drove victim around the area to find the suspect, but no joy. Because the person assaulted refused to report the crime, in police records, no crime occurred. 

☼ A resident was told that a transient had a gun but, did not report the threat. Unless such a crime is seen by an officer or video, there's "no crime" without the victim's report.

☼ This further occurred with the formerly unhoused Jennifer, who damaged cars. Because "sympathetic" victims wouldn't report her, there was little evidence and getting her necessary mental health help took three times as long!

► Yes, reporting takes up your valuable time, and perhaps be inconvenient, but perps and wackos will commit 3X more crimes—or be vulnerable to others' crimes—if we fail to report.

☼ Most nonviolent crimes can be reported online here: https://www.lapdonline.org/file-a-police-report/

`Nuff said arreddy?

In a recent chat with Mental Health, Patrick was lucid and is now making less mess. Officers prefer extra complaints over missing one crucial event!

RICARDO FLORES, CD7 Sr. Deputy  

Verdugo Hill pool is 95% complete and will be ready for summer swimming.

Councilwoman Rodríguez' introduced a motion to assess LA's recreational facilities—restrooms, water fountains, playground equipment, green space, walkways, etc. Public are invited to a meeting about what parks need on 3 June at LVT Rec Center.

A drone show at Hansen Dam Aquatic Center on 29 June will celebrate July Fourth. New: Paddle boats!

Our own dog park with green space and ADA-compliant human exercise equipment is coming to Lopez Canyon on 7 June, just 8 miles away.

A citywide cleanup in honor of Asian and Pacific Island populations, occurs on 31 May. All are invited to meet at North Valley City Hall—7747 Foothill—and contribute some way. STNC's traffic committee will join Sierra Club to continue its tree mulching, watering and rescue.

A resident requests Councilwoman Rodríguez distribute stern reminder not to use fireworks, even on one's own property.

It's now clear that fireworks started the Palisades Fire, destroying or damaging 7,700 homes and commercial buildings! Is that entertainment?

As part of the City's budget moves to compensate for decades of knee-jerk spending, proposed cut will occur to LAPD, Fire and homeless budgets.

You may see a BFL (big fat lie) saying LAPD eats up 46% of LA's City budget. False! It's 16%, and is always under fire.

OFFICER CALOCA advised of a spike in virtual—meaning fake—kidnappings. The unwary receive a call saying a relative has been kidnapped, jailed or suffered an accident. S/he of course needs money NOW! You may even hear the "relative's voice," convincingly rendered via deepfake AI!

☼☼ To prevent this, families should agree upon keyword that all will use to confirm an actual emergency. Maybe a name worked into conversations.

Weeks ago, a teen's baritone voice called me, pleading, "Hi, this is your grandson. I really need your help!" Our grandson is two!

OFFICER GODOY has asked Sizzler owners to close off its parking area, as it's attracting an unwholesome population. The insides of the restaurant are so thoroughly stripped by thieves that no one will pay to refurbish it. The management isn’t responsive; they barely communicate. Same with Coco’s.

Residents want enforcement against speeders, insane passing, and school zone violations on La Tuna Cyn Blvd. It's relevant that LAPD now has only 8,600 officers, down from a high of 10,000.

Thank you, cop-haters and defunders!

To keep things in focus, Officer Caloca passed around several types of home surveillance cameras. Cable-connected are best, as wi-fi can be electronically jammed and only transmits a limited distance. OTOH, we use a Ring cam for our back yard that transmits 70+ feet. (Not digging a 70' ditch!)

Some wi-fi cams contain a memory card to retain videos even if jammed. "4K" resolution delivers beautiful vids but uses more memory. Some have pan-tilt-zoom capabilities you control from an app. Many have audio. "Power Over Ethernet" (PoE) uses a cable to send electricity and receive the signal. A knowledgeable resident volunteered that his Amcrest cams are particularly good.

The 4am raids on Amidon Place in Tujunga were part of multi-agency raids on gangs here and in Florida. The event stemmed from the earlier day we enjoyed three LAPD helicopter visits. It began when a suspect pointed his firearm at a detective. Here's DOJ's release:

https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/13-members-and-associates-rival-armenian-syndicates-arrested-federal-complaints

Officer Godoy concluded by noting that frequency of LA's car chases rose sharply when auto theft became a hand-slap misdemeanor instead of a felony.

THANKS for being part of S-T's crime-fighting team!