Stakeout Volunteers Get a Look at Being Eyes of Police

A man broke into and stole a car from the parking lot of the Devonshire Police Station on Saturday--with the approval of several officers.

The “suspect” was not arrested, although there were more than 80 witnesses.

In fact, he was later applauded for his work.

The car theft was part of a training exercise for a newly organized surveillance team of civilian volunteers who will help Los Angeles police conduct stakeout operations.

As the class of 80 neophyte gumshoes watched from the roof of the Devonshire station in Northridge, three men acted out the parts of criminals--two as lookouts, one as the thief--to help the volunteers hone their observation skills.

“He’s looking at several cars,” said one middle-aged man, practicing with a walkie-talkie, as the thief cased the parking lot.

“He looks suspicious,” he added excitedly.

The exercise was part of a four-hour training session--the surveillance team’s first since it was formed two weeks ago.

In the department’s latest experiment in community-based policing, the volunteers will be trained in using their home video cameras to catch graffiti vandals, car thieves and perhaps drug dealers in the act.

Although briefed on the intricacies of car theft earlier in the roll-call room, the demonstration left many volunteers stunned.

It took only 45 seconds. Many jaws dropped.

“That was so fast,” gasped one woman as she watched the thief drive away. “It was incredible. It was so easy.”

“That’s the real world,” an officer replied. “If they can’t do it in under a minute, they’ll move on to another car.”

The class completed its first test with mixed results.

Some said the thief wore a Windbreaker, others said a warm-up jacket.

But all agreed it was green. They were right, and many correctly copied the license plate. (For the record, it was a warm-up jacket.)

The car theft was the most dramatic part of the session, which also focused on radio training, note-taking techniques and tips on testifying effectively in court.

Among other things, volunteers must all agree not to drink alcohol for at least eight hours before a stakeout.

“We want you to be as alert as possible. We may need you to testify in court,” said Officer John Girard, who told volunteers that criminal defense lawyers would work hard to discredit their testimony in court.

Officers told volunteers how to dress and behave on a stakeout--dark clothes and quietly--and to expect four- to eight-hour shifts in a car, on a rooftop or in a vacant apartment.

“We’re not going to have you sit up there for four or five hours without a potty break,” Officer Les Lovatt reassured the volunteers after one tentative query.

Volunteers, who will carry police radios, also received assurances that officers would always be nearby to protect them.

“We wouldn’t want to park our cars or walk around in some of the areas we’re going to have you in--and we carry guns,” Lovatt said.

The volunteers will not participate in arrests or pursuits.

Volunteers are insured for up to $5,000 for injuries on duty.

But those who disobey orders--for example, by joining a pursuit--would not be covered by insurance.

Several of the volunteers, who ranged in age from the 20s to 60s, said anger and anxiety prompted them to join the program.

“I’ve seen cars stolen all around me,” said Cheryl Paris, a Northridge actress in her late 20s. “I’m a single parent and I’m really frustrated with crime.”

“I’ve had two cars and a chain saw stolen in the past four years,” said Lester A.B. Tapper, 69, a cane-carrying Northridge retiree with a cowboy hat. “We’ve got to get those crazies off the street.”

Most of the volunteers are newcomers to police work, but James Boyle, another retiree, already participates in Hamwatch, a smaller surveillance program staffed by ham radio operators.

“Some people are going to be nervous and a little scared at first of these tough neighborhoods,” Boyle said. “But you get over that. It’s safe and it’s real fun.”

Girard and other officers said they were pleased with the session but looked forward to testing volunteers on their first mission, which is still several weeks away.

“Just wait. The first time they help catch a bad guy they’ll get so excited their lives are going to change forever,” Girard said. “They are going to see things that they only thought happen on TV.”