Services Cuts One Way to Add Police in Lawndale

Drastic cuts in City Hall staffing and municipal services would have to be made if the Lawndale City Council approves a proposed $400,000 increase in law enforcement personnel, according to Acting City Manager Jim Arnold.

“You’re talking about losing people (on the city staff) to increase police,” Arnold said late Thursday as the City Council discussed the $400,000 plan, created in response to community concerns about a recent upsurge of gang activity in Lawndale.

The proposal was drafted by Sheriff’s Capt. Walt Lanier at the request of Councilman Larry Rudolph.

It calls for the addition of two, one-person patrol cars to fight crime and gang activity. The patrols would be on duty either 40 or 56 hours a week, depending upon how much the council wants to spend. The 40-hour staffing would cost about $300,000 a year, Lanier said.

The plan also calls for hiring two civilian community service officers to take crime reports and conduct crime-prevention programs, freeing uniformed officers to respond to crimes and gang activity.

The city’s $7-million budget for 1988-89 includes $1.9 million for law-enforcement services provided by the county Sheriff’s Department. The additional $400,000 would bring the total to $2.3 million.

Deputy City Manager Paula Cone said the city has $200,000 in unappropriated reserve funds that the council could choose to spend to help pay for the proposed increase in sheriff’s services.

The other $200,000 would have to come from new revenues or be cut from existing city programs and expenditures, Arnold said.

Lanier said the added staffing “would put a substantial dent” in the city’s gang and crime problem. He said that while the situation here has not become as violent as in South-Central Los Angeles and elsewhere, it is important to deter gang activity before it becomes entrenched.

“It is safe to say we don’t have the real hard-core gang problem as yet,” Lanier told the council.

Mimicking Gang Behavior

“However, there is every indication that gangs are attempting to gain a foothold in this city,” he said. In Lawndale, he said, “wannabe” gang members are mimicking gang dress and behavior, while the incidence of graffiti has increased noticeably.

In a strong show of support, the council voted 4 to 1 to call for a staff report on how the city could muster the funds for increased sheriff’s patrols and staffing. The report should suggest possible cuts in the budget and possible new sources of revenue, the council majority ordered.

“The safety of the citizens of our community and their property is our No. 1 priority,” said Councilman Dan McKenzie, in voting for the staff report. Councilmen Rudolph and Harold E. Hoffman, and Mayor Sarann Kruse also voted for the study.

Councilwoman Carol Norman voted no, saying that the council should not give its tacit approval until it finds out what cuts would have to be made to finance the program.

McKenzie said that eventually it may become necessary for the city to consider additional taxes or fees to help pay for the additional law-enforcement personnel.

Hofmann, too, said he is concerned about where the money will come from, but he said, “it seems like we have to do something . . . the people are asking for it.”

In April, about 125 residents took part in a “Say No to Gangs” rally and march. In recent weeks, council members said, they have been deluged with calls from residents distressed about a recent increase in graffiti and gang activity in Lawndale.