Chief, Southeast Residents Meet : Burgreen Promises Police Action in High-Crime Area

Residents of Southeast San Diego met with the city’s new police chief Thursday night and told him of serious problems that included dope dealers lurking on street corners at night, elderly residents who fear reprisals if they complain about youth gangs, and burglaries.

Chief Bob Burgreen also heard residents complain about more commonplace concerns, such as cars abandoned along streets, loud music from car stereos, and seemingly overly-long waits for response to calls for the police. The dialogue even went as far afield as questions about why uniformed officers can’t wear beards, and the remarks of one woman who told the chief she is sure a foul odor coming from a neighbor’s yard is coming from a buried body. Burgreen told the group that officers don’t wear beards because San Diego is a conservative city. He promised the woman who complained of the smell that he would send an officer to check.

More than 100 people, ranging in age from elderly to youngsters, met with Burgreen for two

Easy and Informal Pace

This was Burgreen’s third meeting with community groups since being named chief and it was potentially the most sensitive. Southeast has both the city’s highest crime rate and the largest number of police officers assigned to any area of the city. It is also where Burgreen and his staff expected they might face angry words from irate citizens and members of minority groups complaining of strained relations with police.

But, for the most part, the session moved along at an easy and informal pace as police served cookies and coffee.

“Crime is going up too fast,” the chief told the group, “So we have to be able to respond and give you better service.”

He listed two priorities of his new administration: Putting more uniformed officers on patrol and countering the growing drug problem, particularly by improving drug education programs aimed at the city’s youth.

Burgreen also pointed out the city’s need for more officers. San Diego has only 1.6 officers for every 1,000 residents, an average much lower than either Los Angeles or New York, the chief said. He said he will push for a tax increase, to be put before the voters next year, to fund more officers.

“We’re going to have to work hard to get that,” he said, “because right now there is no magical pot of money sitting around.”

On drug interdiction, he said officers are going to put more emphasis on eliminating drug houses but that the problem is not easily solved. He said that every month police receive new complaints about houses being used by drug dealers.

“We get one wrapped up and three more pop up right away,” he said.

He assured the group that officers will concentrate their efforts on drug houses and drug dealing that occurs near schools, parks and recreation areas, trying to keep drugs away from schoolchildren.

Burgreen urged members of the group to become active in the Neighborhood Watch as a way to deal with problems ranging from loitering and littering to drive-by shootings and gangs.

“If it’s a major problem, we want to know about it,” Burgreen told the group.

When residents brought up specific cases, the chief’s top commanders took down names and addresses and promised quick enforcement in problem areas. Those cases included drug dealing at 26th Street and Imperial Avenue; loud cars driving on Logan Avenue, and stolen cars being stripped near the corner of 43rd Street and Newton Avenue.