Last Thursday, June 16th, the Archdiocesan Catholic Center hosted the quarterly meeting of the Wilshire Center Business Watch. The following is information from that meeting, as well as the scheduling of the next meeting. Senior Lead Officer (SLO) James Chong is responsible for this local area, which is bounded by 5th St. on the north, Vermont Ave. on the east, San Marino St. on the south, and Normandie Ave. on the west. He was represented at today's meeting by Acting Senior Lead Officer Heidi Stoecklein, who also works in the Community Relations Department with youth programs and the Police Department's Cadet Program.

Bike Patrol Work on Homelessness: There has been an increase in homeless encampments, especially on Hobart Blvd. between Wilshire Blvd. and 7th St. SLO Stoecklein wants to patrol with the Bicycle Patrol and work with them with respect to enforcement of municipal codes. Members of the Bicycle Patrol of the Wilshire Center Business Improvement District inform residents of the encampments of social services that are available to them. Only later do they post notices and, if not addressed, remove belongings.

Bicycle Patrol Work with Police on Identifying Suspects: The members of the Bicycle Patrol have noticed that a large number of people sought by the police are found near the area of Wilshire Blvd. and Vermont Ave., and especially on Shatto Pl. One member estimates that for every ten calls he receives from the police asking him to search out a person, he finds six of them, with four of them at that intersection or in that area.

Illegal Street Vendors: There was a task force event on Tuesday, 14 June, to close down the businesses of illegal street vendors. The Police Department works with the Health Department to inform people how to legally operate businesses. Chrysalis Center, used by the Wilshire Center Business Improvement District to clean the streets and sidewalks, is available to work with the police to remove vendor carts.

Illegal Postings: Today the Police Department was scheduled to remove illegal postings from light posts.

Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools: There is a liaison between the schools and the Police Department. That officer dissuades gang recuiters from congregating outside the school.

Wilshire Boulevard Temple: Earlier this week, people on skateboards vandalized the front of the temple, tearing down the lightpoles by the front door. The perpetrators were shown on security cameras, and the police are looking for the suspects. (This is another example of the importance of having good security cameras.)

With respect to skateboarders, there are certain architectural changes that buildings can make to their steps and handrails in order to deter skateboarders from using these areas.

Starting in September 2011, the temple will close for two to three years for renovation. There is already a net in place to catch pieces of the ceiling that are falling down.

Graffiti: It occasionally flares up and then subsides. Flare-ups may be due to rivalry between gangs or rivalry between particular gang members. Graffiti may subside if a leading gang member goes to jail.

The Police Department has a strong unit of gang officers in this neighborhood. They also work with tagging crews, whose members are not affiliated with a particular gang, but who are susceptible to gangs' recruiting efforts.

The Bicycle Patrol takes pictures of the graffiti and reports the incidents to detectives in the Police Department. The Bicycle Patrol also contacts the Koreatown Youth and Community Center to paint over the graffiti.

SLO Stoecklein will approach Captain Matthew Blake, who leads the Olympic Division, and inquire about setting up meetings between gang officers and community members in order to inform the community members about issues relating to gangs, and to raise awareness.

Movie Nights in Lafayette Park: The Police Department is sponsoring weekly movie nights in Lafayette Park. More information will be available from the Police Department at: http://www.lapdonline.org

or from the Wilshire Center Business Improvement District at: http://www.wilshirecenter.com

Crime in the Neighborhood: In the Olympic Division, total crime is down 15.6% from the same time last year. Crime in SLO Chong's specific area (area 20A45) is down 18.2% from the same time last year. Of the Police Department's 22 divisions, the Olympic Division currently ranks sixth in overall decrease in crime.

The biggest concerns in the area continue to be burglaries from motor vehicles, and thefts. The top items stolen from vehicles are GPS (Global Positioning System) devices and cell phones. Cell phones are also stolen from people as they walk down the street, but are inattentive to their surroundings. Given the prevalence of car thefts, and thefts from cars, the police recommend locking vehicles, and hiding any valuables from plain sight or removing them from the car. There is a new initiative, "Hide it. Lock it. Keep it," that is aimed at educating the public to these practices to reduce crime.

Crime Statistics in the Neighborhood: The Los Angeles Police Department's website has a number of crime prevention tips at: http://www.lapdonline.org/crime_prevention

There is also a map showing recent crimes. It is published by the Los Angeles Times from data provided by the Los Angeles Police Department. People can input an address in the city to see the occurrences of various crimes in the neighborhood. The site is at: http://projects.latimes.com/mapping-la/crime/

Next Meeting:

The Archdiocesan Catholic Center is pleased to host the next meeting of the Wilshire Center Business Watch. Quarterly meetings (March, June, September, and December) seem to be good for people's schedules. Also, Thursdays seem to be good days for people.

Date: Thursday, 15 September 2011
Time: 12:00 noon
Place: Archdiocesan Catholic Center
3424 Wilshire Blvd. in Los Angeles
El Camino Real Conference Room (5th floor)
Cross street is Mariposa Ave.
The building is located on the southeast corner of Wilshire Blvd. and Mariposa Ave.
Lunch: Complimentary light lunch will be provided by the Archdiocesan Catholic Center.
Parking: The building's parking structure is located immediately south of the building, with entrance from Mariposa Ave. Free parking available compliments of Jamison Services. (Validations will be available at the meeting.)

Please feel free to invite other building owners, building managers, directors of security, etc. They are also welcome to contact me (please see below) to be added to the e-mail distribution list.

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Eileen E. O'Brien
Director of Facilities and Operations
Archdiocesan Catholic Center
Archdiocese of Los Angeles
3424 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90010-2202
phone: (213) 637-7618
fax: (213) 637-6618
e-mail: eeobrien@la-archdiocese.org