Balboa Park Perceived as Safer With Increased Police Presence

A year after the daytime slaying of an actor spurred increased law enforcement efforts in Balboa Park, people who work in the park say the place appears safer, even if statistics indicate that not all types of crime have been reduced.

“The police have done an effective job without making it seem like an armed camp,” said Arthur Ollman, executive director of the Museum of Photographic Arts. “The big aggravation here was the car break-ins. We used to go out every day and see broken glass in the parking lots. Now, in the last year I’ve only seen that once or twice.”

William Immenschuh, president of the San Diego Aerospace Museum and chairman of the 22-member Central Balboa Park Assn., said park security has undergone a “vast improvement.”

One major shift in police policy was the designation in early 1985 of the 1,157-acre park as a full patrol beat instead of part of a larger beat. After the City Council paid $130,000 for private security for the park between June and October of last year, the Police Department hired 14 park service officers. Now at least one police patrol car and two to five park service officers--who summon regular police officers when they observe crimes or disturbances--roam the park at all times.

“We believe that we’ve had a significant impact,” said Lt. Claude Gray, executive lieutenant for the Police Department’s Central Division, which covers the park. “Overall, comparing it to any other big-city park, it’s pretty safe.”

The latest available quarterly crime figures show an overall drop from 195 to 152 crimes in the park, a 22% reduction, comparing the first quarter of 1986 to that of 1985. Other decreases during the period were:

- Robberies dropped from 10 to 5.

- Grand thefts went from 52 to 27.

- Petty thefts fell from 121 to 68.

- Rape down went from 1 to none.

However, burglaries inched upward from 21 to 23, assaults climbed from 1 to 10 and auto thefts went from 8 to 19.

Gray said 1985 totals in those categories were well below those for 1984 and that the recent containment of theft has made a dent in potentially more serious crimes.

“Most of the problem was with vehicle-related crimes, and this has the potential to erupt into violence, as we saw in the Huffman case,” he said.

David Huffman, a 40-year-old actor who was starring in “Of Mice and Men” at the Old Globe Theatre, was stabbed to death in February, 1985, half a mile from the theater in Palm Canyon, where he had chased a youth he had seen breaking into a motor home. The incident accelerated efforts to tighten security, and a coalition of park museums requested more lighting and an increased police presence in March.

“Frankly, we went in to the city with a list of concerns more than a year ago, and everything we asked for we got,” said Ollman. He said the association was eventually persuaded that the original request for a helicopter landing pad to expedite paramedic responses was unnecessary.

“We’ve shown excellent results,” said Marcia McLatchy, manger of the park. “I don’t care where it is, the presence of people in uniform makes people feels safer. It’s 100% successful as far as I’m concerned.”

Despite improved safety, some people who work in the park said the publicity of isolated crimes still scares off some visitors.

“It’s a shame when people don’t use the park because they’re afraid, but now those fears are largely unfounded,” Ollman said. “It’s one of the safest neighborhoods in San Diego now.

“You are better off parking your car in Balboa Park than in Mission Hills or La Jolla.”