Morning coffee and ice cream with cops on the Boulevard
OFF DUTY Wilshire Senior Lead Officer Ian O’Brien (left) and his son Jack with fellow SLO Andrew Jones.
Salt & Straw on Larchmont Boulevard was packed on Aug. 29 at 10 a.m. with local residents getting a free scoop of ice cream while milling around with officers from the Wilshire Community Police Station. There was no evidence that it was really morning with all of the ice cream being consumed.
In addition to ice cream, coffee was donated by Starbucks, whose shop is just a few doors down the Boulevard from Salt & Straw. Great White also wanted in on the action and spontaneously offered sweet toasted bread to attendees. At one point, the crowd stretched down three store fronts to the south. It was a morning party on the Boulevard.
COMMUNITY MEMBERS interact with officers from Wilshire LAPD in front of Larchmont’s Salt & Straw.
The informal get-together allowed residents, officers, detectives and even Capt. Julie Rodriguez of Wilshire LAPD ample time to chat about concerns in the area as well as just putting faces to names and vice versa.
Karla Ricci of Larchmont Village, a new mom to her second daughter, who was 7 days old, said, “The Larchmont Chronicle brought me here, like the good old, normal days. My dad is visiting. He read the paper that was left on my doorstep this morning and told me about the event.” It turned into a family outing.
Marcia Josephy, a 45-year resident of Hancock Park, said, “I wanted to meet the new officer. We need a specialist for the neighborhood.” She was referring to new interim Senior Lead Officer (SLO) Tyler Shuck.
Many residents expressed relief that Wilshire LAPD finally got permission to permanently fill the SLO position, left vacant after the retirement of officer Dave Cordova. According to Sgt. Wes Sarno, Wilshire Community Relations Officer, the division is in the process of interviewing candidates. “We should have someone chosen in the next couple of weeks. With all the paperwork, the position should be filled by the end of October.”
Shuck is one of the many officers applying for the opening. He worked with SLOs at Wilshire his first year after graduating from LAPD Academy 13 years ago. At the time he thought, “This is the coolest job, kind of like a sheriff for the area. You can get coffee with a resident or arrest someone.”
Officer Philip Choi, who also was an interim SLO at the beginning of the summer and set the wheels in motion for the ice cream event, is applying for the permanent position as well. He said, “I’m jealous of this community. I wish it was like this where I lived. People are very connected and caring, and the communication is on point. It’s amazing to see it at work.”
Continuing with the spirit of community, Salt & Straw manager Vivana Granados commented, “We are all about community and outreach. It’s important for our company and our founders. We want this store to be a spot for the entire community.” Seems like they chose the right neighborhood for that.
Category: People