Community Policing / Northridge, Van Nuys

THE PROGRAM: The Los Angeles Police Department has assigned 31 officers to full-time community relations duty in the San Fernando Valley. The officers, who in the past spent only a few hours a month on such duty, now work full-time with neighborhood organizations and individuals. One of the 31 areas is described below:

THE OFFICER: Mark Pryor, West Valley Division, (818) 908-4042

THE AREA: Pryor’s central Valley beat consists mostly of blue-collar residential neighborhoods and small business areas. The most prevalent problems are auto thefts, burglaries and thefts from vehicles, Pryor says. Those crimes make up about 65% of the law enforcement problems in the area, he says.