Deputies to Maintain Catalina Presence
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department will continue to provide law enforcement services on Santa Catalina Island in accordance with a five-year contract unanimously approved this week by the City Council.
The council’s approval followed three months of discussion between city officials and sheriff’s representatives over ways to improve the department’s image on Catalina and enhance the relationship between deputies and the community, said Avalon City Manager Chuck Prince.
Avalon and sheriff’s representatives agreed to a list of priorities for the sheriff’s station on the island, including increasing narcotics enforcement, replacing car patrols on Crescent Avenue--Avalon’s main street--with a foot patrol, and having the station commander in uniform more often, Prince said.
The contract also slightly increases the number of deputies patroling the city, said Lawrence Dykhouse, sheriff’s commander for the portion of the county that includes Catalina.
The final cost of the contract will be decided in June, but Prince estimated that it would fall between $300,000 and $350,000 annually.
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