LAPD to Expand Program of Community Involvement

The Los Angeles Police Department will expand a community-based policing program in which 31 veteran officers in the San Fernando Valley have been assigned full time to work with neighborhood groups and walk foot beats, police officials said Tuesday.

Under the program, senior officers have been diverted from supervisory patrol duty and responded only to top-priority radio calls. The deployment shift has not hurt emergency response times and appears to have improved community involvement, Deputy Chief Mark Kroeker said. In a move to further bolster neighborhood involvement in police efforts, 335 civilian volunteers will be selected beginning next month to help coordinate anti-crime activities.

The Valley program reflects the “community-based policing” philosophy recommended by the Christopher Commission in the aftermath of the police beating of Rodney G. King.