Chief of police, division officers talk public safety in the hood
Windsor Square Association hosted a public safety town hall April 23 at Marlborough School campus. Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell, Olympic Division Capt. Brian O’Connor, Wilshire Division Capt. Michael Rippe and officers attended the evening. All were wearing their class A uniform, which is their dressy version, per the Chief’s instructions.
The evening started with remarks from the Police Chief, who has been on the job since November. His first comment was that anyone who’s looking to move to Los Angeles should come here, “It’s beautiful.” He worked many positions in LAPD for 29 years before leaving to be a sheriff and other law enforcement endeavors for a decade. He’s very happy to be back and said his tenure away from the force, “Felt like watching a sports event but not being in it. There’s no where else I’d rather be than here.”
Sgt. Wes Sarno, Wilshire Senior Lead Officer Supervisor, commented that he is happy to have one of their own leading them.
WSA CO-CHAIR of block captains Tracey Durning with Senior Lead Officer Danny Chavez, Sgt. Wes Sarno and Windsor Square resident Marcelo Ziperovich.
With his Boston accent seeping into his easy-going manner and matter-of-fact way of speaking, the Chief talked about homicides being down dramatically from the 90s, but burglaries being on the rise in affluent areas.
Regarding the burglaries, there are two main crews, one from South America and one from South L.A. According to McDonnell, “They are running very sophisticated operations.” The chief continued saying the thieves put cameras in flower beds and watch a home remotely to get a sense of the residents schedule. After a few days of surveillance, they enter through a back door, jam the wireless cameras and alarms and take property from the home. The police have made numerous arrests. To combat the thieves, he advises having a good neighborhood communication network-and-watch system and don’t hesitate to call the police if you notice suspicious cars wandering through or parked in the area.
He touched on the passing of Proposition 36, which changed drug possession and certain thefts under $950 to be considered felonies. He believes this proposition and the new district attorney, Nathan Hochman, makes it easier for police to arrest multiple offending criminals.
“LAPD hit a rough patch in 2020 and many people who could leave took the opportunity,” said McDonnell. But he seems optimistic about the future of the force. The police department still needs more recruits. He’s working with Mayor Karen Bass to streamline the application process and is hoping the police budget isn’t cut.
He encouraged the audience to be in touch with your elected officials about what you want.
Getting more local answers
Senior Lead Officers(SLO) Danny Chavez of Olympic and Tyler Shuck of Wilshire along with their captains also answered questions from the crowd. “SLOs are your first line of defense,” according to Chavez. Both SLOs encouraged their constituents to contact them with issues from traffic to prostitution and everything in between. “Flood us with information,” said Shuck. They wanted to make clear that for emergencies, always call 911.
Illegal parking in the center lane of Larchmont Boulevard was brought up. Shuck, known as the sheriff of Larchmont, said he goes out regularly to give tickets to cars in the center lane. When asked if he thinks it should be legal, he responded “No, it’s a safety issue.”
To add a bit of levity to the evening, Chavez claimed to be the mini chief of police to Shuck’s sheriff, which garnered a hearty laugh from attendees and officers.
Category: News
