SANTA ANA : Parishioners Tip Police to Crime Spots

Almost 300 parishioners from a local church gave police a list Wednesday of addresses in their neighborhood that they suspect are criminal hot spots.

Responding to police requests for greater community involvement in fighting crime, residents led by the Parish Community Organization met with police at St. Joseph Church and described more than a dozen sites where gang and drug crime allegedly flourish. Parishioners also called on police to move swiftly against their list of targets and report back in 60 days on their progress.

“This is basically to establish a relationship, to show that we have organized because our concerns are so great, to show that we’re ready to work with them,” said Angelica Orozco, who chaired the meeting. “We’re tired of being prisoners in our home, and we’re tired of living this way. . . .

“We will give (police) our help, but we also need to know that they will listen to us and prioritize our problems.”

Lt. Collie Provence, who supervises the mid-town district, said the community’s support is indispensable because police will waste less time finding the problems and will be able to respond more quickly.

“We can’t do it alone. With (community) assistance and direction we’ll have far better results. I see this as something good. I want to hear their input,” he said.

During the hourlong meeting, many residents said they support the police and hope community involvement will help, while others emphasized the seriousness of the problems in their area.

Garfield Elementary School teacher Arleen Plunkett said: “While I’m teaching ‘Say no to drugs,’ (gang members) are dealing drugs right outside my window. It’s just going on all the time and I believe it’s gotten a lot worse this year.”

“Families are afraid to go out at night. They won’t let their children go out at night anymore,” said parishioner Marti Maciel. Some people are afraid to call the police for fear of retribution from gang members, she said. “We’ve been telling them, you have to call the police and report it, get a license plate.”