Neighborhood Watch Tuesday @ 10:30am

Posted on 10/18/2025

Sunland-Tujunga+Nearby Neighborhood Watch
Oct 21, 2025

14 attendees absorbed LAPD stats, presentations and the camaraderie of a Neighborhood Watch meeting begun by LAPD Tujunga SLO Gloria Caloca at 10:30 AM in Joselito's Mexican Restaurant in Tujunga.
GOOD STATS!!
S-T suffered 40 fewer crimes than in 2024! Our biggest drops were in burglaries from motor vehicle and GTA. Property crimes are down a bit.
We had 198 total crimes in S-T, while other areas had nearly 500. Crimes are DOWN two years straight and LAPD looks for a 10% drop every year—even as our population grows!
So DO keep on reporting. DO make yourself a bit of a busybody!
Under a new law, it can NOW be felony to steal—even if under $950—IF the suspect has a previous conviction! Soooprise!
►► WE CAN'T COMPLAIN ABOUT SOFT LAWS IF WE DON'T MAKE POLICE REPORTS! ◄◄
To clarify: Calling 911 or LAPD Dispatch IS NOT a "Police Report." A REPORT is a separate action victims must fulfill with an officer, or online.
FAR TOO OFTEN—as we've heard from both SLO Godoy and SLO Caloca—that the original caller complains, then then disappears or won't complete an actual report when LAPD arrives!
► WITHOUT YOUR VICTIM'S REPORT, "no crime occurred!" So no arrest can be made! Defense attorneys just ask, "What victim??"
ONLY THE ACTUAL VICTIM of a crime—Vons, gas station or shop manager, the person stolen from—may make a formal police report, not you or I as witnesses. Of course we can call 911.
Your report must be TIMELY! Don't call about last week or yesterday's crimes. Reports need a specific address. Where long stretches of street have no address, reference the closest one.
When you just need a written police report, e.g., for an insurance claim, go here:
https://www.lapdonline.org/file-a-police-report/
Given LA and CA's new and permissive rules, officers must get creative and exchange hints on smart tactics to—always truthfully—handle various situations.
You can look up crimes by address on CrimeMapping.com, although much is deleted for privacy reasons.
After you have made your report, your case is in the hands of the detective, NOT the officer. Get your report number and follow up with the assigned detectives.
When there's an active "situation," DO NOT call your SLO! Call 911 for any emergency or 1-877-ASK-LAPD for less-pressing matters.
SLOs have days off, take vacations, and may not take City phones home. One SLO got a report of car abandoned for two weeks, BUT had taken several days off, so handling was delayed.
A Possible Improvement? When I called 911 last month for a dangerous traffic matter, they answered in 30-40 seconds! Will that continue? Was it a fluke?
SLO GODOY related some time-wasting calls they've received:
- A message saying a large canister smelled like a dead body and a hand sticking out.
- Blood on a park bench. Then caller contacted CD7 about it. So LAPD HAD TO check it out, but it was fake blood.
Sunland Park Senior Center has a problem with a homeless person's black SUV. He's been spoken to, arrested, and his SUV impounded, but he pays to get it back. He was peripherally mentioned, not accused, in a stabbing, but released. Do not approach.
Know that LAPD cannot tow a vehicle until registration is 6 months overdue and they've given a warning. Impounding an RV is truly a long-term project.
Can get someone be arrested for a threat? Must put together a case w/in 48 hours for the judge.
One witness sent video of a crime to Ricardo, and the "suspect" was still released.
Call DOT (Department of Transportation) for standard parking problems: 818-374-4823, or 213-485-4184. Keep your report SIMPLE, to the point. Fire hydrant parking gets FAST response. NOT, " Well, I've lived here 22 years..."
LOCAL TRAFFIC CAUTIONS:
Stoned or lawsuit-hungry homeless may suddenly walk into the street.
Some people drive "on robo-matic." They're on their phone, texting, shushing their kids, or knowingly drive under the spell of cannabis.
Apperson/Foothill light takes FOREVER, so some bypass it, or run it.
CD7's Ricardo Flores says we'll get additional "No Right Turn On Red" signs at key Foothill intersections, BUT they’re temporary. No explanation.
- City plans more left-turn pockets on Foothill. They help traffic flow but are slow in arriving due to VERY expensive demos and construction.
- LADOT is trying to regulate red lights to keep traffic flowing better.
- We'll get more red-painted no-parking curbs. If you run a business on Foothill that needs street parking, voice your concerns to LADOT asap.
Other City News from Ricardo!
The opening of Verdugo Hills heated pool on 25 October showcased new safety, amenities and building upgrades. Hours are TBD. City owns this facility, not LAUSD.
- Due to nasty budget problems, City has a hiring freeze.
- Illegal dumping is way down, but K-Mart is still an issue.
- Ricardo gets many calls he can't address, like neighbors’ disputes, loose dogs.
- Operation BrightSpot' teams in red trucks pick up trash and junk on main corridors. They often pressure-wash and weed whack.
Streetlight repairs are now delayed for months, not weeks, due to copper wire thieves. Solar panel lights are coming. Someday.
- City’s graffiti team regularly handles tags in under 24 hours, no charge, but they can't be expected to match your paint.
What? No Sidewalks?
Notice how many of our east-west streets have no sidewalks, as we are a very old community. Early property owners have now taken over many of those berms with their own walls and fences, so City can’t install those sidewalks.
People Without Roofs
If you know someone who brings food and money to the homeless, please speak—politely and educationally—to them. These self-congratulating, feel-good virtue-signalers keep troubled people ON THE STREET, LIVING IN the elements, EXPOSED to street criminals, AND out of shelters and programs. Some bring regular scheduled meals to the Kmart mess.
Perennially unhoused Patrick was detained without any physical tussle. It helped to bring in a team of six. Patrick is now, we hope, getting an evaluation from Dept of Mental Health. His area was cleaned up.
SCHOOLS!!
LAPD has quarterly meetings with school principals about student issues AND how to motivate lax parents. Now school police can’t be on school property. This is a HUGE loss of visibility and knowledge of young troublemakers for LAPD. Seeking to limit police involvement, one principal asked how far their school boundaries extend!
Per one report not verified, LAUSD Supervisor Kelly Gonez supported this philosophy and doesn't even want LAUSD School Police on campus. Most principals and teachers want school cops back, and troublemakers are sometimes disciplined. One male was forbidden from prom based on a large incident.
Today, students seldom receive more than a citation. There is no more "Juvie" incarceration for all but the worst crimes, including multiple GTAs.
 

☼ PLEASE SAVE THESE CONTACTS!!!

☼ Call 911 for any emergency OR crime in progress.
► LAPD NON-emergency: 1-877-ASK-LAPD
► File LAPD Report Online:
https://www.lapdonline.org/file-a-police-report/
► TUJUNGA Senior Lead Officer: Gloria Caloca: [email protected]
► SUNLAND SLO: Wil Godoy: [email protected]
► SLO for HOMELESS Issues: Ofcr. Eric Herrera: [email protected]
► TRAFFIC: Ofcr. Sal Venegas: [email protected]
► Volunteer to Help Foothill LAPD! Ofcr. Milton Ramírez: [email protected]
THANK YOU for being part of S-T and nearby neighbors' safety solutions!

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