Police Task Force Maintains a High Profile in Two Areas : Housing Projects--a Big Bite Out of Crime

Ruby Jones said she sleeps a little better since police assigned a task force to the crime-ridden housing projects of Imperial Courts and Nickerson Gardens last September.

“They’re really helping the neighborhood,” said Jones, who has lived in Nickerson Gardens for 28 years. “The gangs aren’t hanging out on the streets like they used to and I know that I feel safer about letting my daughter walk alone to the bus stop. The police also get here quicker whenever there’s trouble.”

The two projects, which together house about 7,000 residents, have long been noted for their rampant crime. Nickerson Gardens, the largest housing project in the city, has 1,050 apartments spread over 68 acres. Imperial Courts has 480 apartments.

While the projects together constitute only 1% of the geographic area and 5 1/2% of the population in the Southeast Police Division, police statistics show that in 1983, more than 12% of the crimes committed in the area occurred in or near the projects.

Significant Crime Cut

Residents, police and housing authority officials say the task force has significantly cut crime since its inauguration Sept. 24.

Los Angeles Police Department statistics show that in the three months of the force’s operation, “repressible crimes,” which include property-related crimes such as burglaries, auto thefts and some robberies, were down from 235 last year to 141 in the same period this year, a 40% decrease.

Figures on the number of violent crimes in the area during the same period were not available. Police do not consider crimes such as murders and rapes preventable.

Police officials admit that while the task force has helped reduce repressible crimes, drug-related crimes such as robberies, assaults and shootings continue to be the area’s main problem.

“It would be nice if we could see and catch drug dealers in the act of committing a crime, but it doesn’t work that way,” said Sgt. Jim Voge, who supervises the task force’s police officers during the day watch. “Sometimes we stop someone for a minor traffic violation because some guy’s headlights are out, and it turns into a felony because the driver has a stolen shotgun or drugs.

“Two officers riding around in a car aren’t going to do a lot to help stop sophisticated drug trafficking or a violent family dispute,” Voge said, “but at least maybe the criminals are finally aware that we’re out there.

Police officials are encouraged by the results so far.

“In an area which has had such a history of entrenched gang and drug activity, a 10% reduction in crime would be something to be proud of,” said Stephen Gates, division captain for the task force and brother of Police Chief Daryl F. Gates. “But a 40% reduction? That’s really sensational.”

“Figures like these are remarkable,” said Lt. William Pruitt, who supervises criminal investigations at the Southeast Police Division. “That’s quite a success rate for a project that’s been in business for only three months.”

The task force, which will run indefinitely, was rechristened the “Motorized Foot Beat,” when residents complained that “task force” sounded too much like an occupying army. The unit consists of 26 officers and three sergeants. Two squad cars during the day and four cars at night are assigned exclusively to patrol the projects. Previously, police usually entered the area only to answer calls.

Residents say that the increased police presence has helped foster a sense of security in the neighborhood.

‘We’re Not Forgotten’

“I think that people aren’t as afraid as they were before and I know that the street corners aren’t as full of troublemakers as they used to be,” said Wilma Powns, a member of the Nickerson Garden’s Residents Advisory Council and a resident of the project for 30 years. “There’s just more faith in the community because we know the police are here to protect us too. We’re not forgotten anymore.”

Pat Eickman, chairperson of the South-Central Organizing Committee’s crime team, which lobbied for the increase in police officers, said she is pleased with the program. “I know they’ve really cut down on crime and reduced the fear level in the area,” Eickman said. “It only proves SCOC’s contention that more officers will make a difference in helping to discourage crime.”

While some officers are still reluctant to leave their cars and walk around the housing projects, some have actually begun to patrol on foot through Nickerson Gardens and Imperial Courts.

Officers Whitney Pauly and Dan Johnson said they have tried to walk through the projects at least once a day since December and have even found themselves playing a quick game of touch football with some of Nickerson Garden’s children.

“Some of the older residents have warned us to be careful and tell us we might be moving targets out there. But we think it’s important to get out of the car and meet the community,” Johnson said.

Meets the Community

“The area we patrol is small and it could get kind of boring riding around and around the same streets all day,” Pauly said. “But I find that I’m less and less bored the more I meet the community and see where I can help protect law-abiding citizens.”

The sense of security that officers like Pauly and Johnson are contributing may be a more significant effect of the task force than the statistics would indicate.

About 325 of the 500 arrests made by the task force were for misdemeanors, police said. The remaining 175 arrests were felonies. Many were for drug dealing, possession of drugs or for outstanding felony warrants, police said.

Pruitt said 60% to 65% of the task force’s felony arrests were eventually filed by the district attorney, while 40% is a more typical rate. Of those cases, Pruitt said about 80% resulted in a conviction.

Cmdr. William Booth said the Los Angeles Police Department will continue to use the task force concept to combat crime as they have done elsewhere in the city.

“We certainly see that the LAPD will continue to use the concept of a task force where it’s needed,” Booth said. “This is like a brush-fire fighting effort where we can design a program with a community’s specific problems in mind. Provided we have the personnel resources, we’ll try to stay there as long as it’s needed or until we’re sure that the brush fire is out.”

Chief Gates is scheduled to update the Police Commission on the Motorized Foot Beat on Tuesday.