More Police Patrol as part of Safer City Initiative
September 25, 2006
Associated Press
(All photos courtesy of LA Times)
LOS ANGELES - Specially trained police officers have started patrolling Skid Row, in a new and much touted city initiative to fight crime in the impoverished, drug plagued downtown area.
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was on hand Sunday as 50 police officers fanned out in pairs, on foot and riding bicycles. The mayor looked to reassure a skeptic public that the campaign will create a safer community for the people and businesses in the area.
"We are not going to give up on Skid Row," Villaraigosa said at a news conference.
An estimated 1,800 homeless people live on Skid Row. The area is home to cheap hotels and charity shelters, but it's also gentrifying - with fancy lofts and new businesses coming in. They have been pressuring the city to clean it up.
But some homeless activists worry that the city isn't dealing sensitively with the homeless population, and Skid Row residents have complained about harassment and nuisance arrests from certain officers.
"It's about real estate," said Alice Callaghan of Las Familias del Pueblo, an advocacy group for the homeless. "It's about purifying the public sidewalks so the people moving into these lofts downtown won't feel afraid."
Caroline Phillips, a prosecutor with the city attorney's office who will be specializing in Skid Row cases, acknowledged that the police will have to work to gain the people's trust.
"They see the police as a paramilitary presence here to bust heads," Phillips said.
The reassigned officers received 30 hours of specialized training, including how to deal with people suffering from mental disorders, police said.
The initiative also seeks greater follow-through by the city attorney's office, particularly for drug-related offenses, more street lighting and increased sidewalk cleaning.
Also read:
LA TImes: Police Expand Presence on Skid Row as Part of New Campaign.
KTLA: Toy Company: Skid Row Problem Getting Worse
Watch KTLA News Report on Strike Force Moves Onto Skid Row
(Windows Media Player required)
Associated Press
(All photos courtesy of LA Times)
LOS ANGELES - Specially trained police officers have started patrolling Skid Row, in a new and much touted city initiative to fight crime in the impoverished, drug plagued downtown area.
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was on hand Sunday as 50 police officers fanned out in pairs, on foot and riding bicycles. The mayor looked to reassure a skeptic public that the campaign will create a safer community for the people and businesses in the area.
"We are not going to give up on Skid Row," Villaraigosa said at a news conference.
An estimated 1,800 homeless people live on Skid Row. The area is home to cheap hotels and charity shelters, but it's also gentrifying - with fancy lofts and new businesses coming in. They have been pressuring the city to clean it up.
But some homeless activists worry that the city isn't dealing sensitively with the homeless population, and Skid Row residents have complained about harassment and nuisance arrests from certain officers.
"It's about real estate," said Alice Callaghan of Las Familias del Pueblo, an advocacy group for the homeless. "It's about purifying the public sidewalks so the people moving into these lofts downtown won't feel afraid."
Caroline Phillips, a prosecutor with the city attorney's office who will be specializing in Skid Row cases, acknowledged that the police will have to work to gain the people's trust.
"They see the police as a paramilitary presence here to bust heads," Phillips said.
The reassigned officers received 30 hours of specialized training, including how to deal with people suffering from mental disorders, police said.
The initiative also seeks greater follow-through by the city attorney's office, particularly for drug-related offenses, more street lighting and increased sidewalk cleaning.
Also read:
LA TImes: Police Expand Presence on Skid Row as Part of New Campaign.
KTLA: Toy Company: Skid Row Problem Getting Worse
Watch KTLA News Report on Strike Force Moves Onto Skid Row
(Windows Media Player required)
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