LAPD Reaches Valley Via Cable : Law enforcement: Deputy Chief Mark A. Kroeker sees the 30-minute TV show, which debuts Friday, as an addition to the community policing effort he began last year.

Some viewers might be tempted to call it “Mark’s World,” except the host of this cable-access television show doesn’t have a guitar. He has a Los Angeles police badge.

With the kind of high-grade production values that Wayne Campbell of movie and TV fiction’s “Wayne’s World” could only dream about, Deputy Police Chief Mark A. Kroeker this week kicks off a program designed to bring the department’s highly publicized community-oriented policing to cable viewers in the San Fernando Valley.

Produced at United Artists Cable for no charge with Kroeker as the permanent host, “Valley Crime Watch” might be the only program like it in California, its makers say. The half-hour show, which debuts Friday at 7 p.m., is part “America’s Most Wanted,” part “Cops” and partly a community news report.

With top production values, including graphics and background music, the first program highlights several profiles of suspects wanted in connection with Valley slayings and robberies, gives details of an unsolved killing during the April riots and provides a look behind the scenes at the department’s Foothill Division.

Included in the look at the division that covers the northeast Valley is a profile of Senior Lead Officer Stephany Payne, one of 31 officers assigned to community policing in the Valley. The camera follows the teacher-turned-cop as she describes problems facing the Pacoima community where she works and what local residents can do to get involved in programs such as Neighborhood Watch.

The segments of the show are separated by graphics featuring Valley factoids: statistics on car theft, gang activities and other crimes. Kroeker also interviews Capt. Tim McBride, commander of the Foothill Division, and gives viewers tips on protecting their cars from theft.

Kroeker got his first look at the finished product Tuesday and came away pleased. He said the show will be a welcome addition to the community policing program he began Valley-wide last year.

“What we are trying to do is stimulate involvement in the police-community partnership,” he said. “We will reach a lot of people with this. We want to try to enlist them into the camp we are trying to build.

“It’s a crime prevention effort. It’s a public information effort.”

United Artists Cable reaches about 90,000 households in the East Valley. Sheri J. Rubin, public affairs administrator for the company and an executive producer of Valley Crime Watch, said United will make the show available to other cable companies so it will reach the West Valley and areas south of Ventura Boulevard.

Chris Soular, the show’s producer-director, said new episodes will be made each month and the program will be broadcast up to three times a week on Channel 15.

“You are going to get a lot of exposure,” he told Kroeker after showing him the first program Tuesday. “A lot of people in the Valley will be seeing this.”

Although some departments make “most wanted” segments for local TV stations, Soular said he knew of no other cable company or police department in California involved in producing an entire program tailored to providing information to the local community.

Rubin said the ultimate goal is to produce new shows each week and to attract local advertisers to the program. Initially, commercial spots in the show will be filled with public service announcements.

Rubin approached Kroeker with the idea for the TV show in July after hearing him discuss the community policing philosophy at a Chamber of Commerce meeting.

Kroeker called it a no-lose proposition for the department because it costs nothing and might help catch criminals, prevent crime and establish bonds between the department and the residents it serves. Two department employees, Detective Al Michelena and management analyst Nancy Crossley, serve as technical advisers.

“The frustration of community policing is communication, getting the word out,” Kroeker said. “This will introduce viewers to the Valley officers and take them inside the department.”

In future shows, Kroeker plans to profile other senior lead officers and the other four divisions. He said the format is flexible and can be geared toward discussion of an event or specific crime. In keeping with his desire to open the department to residents, he said a future program will include discussion on how residents can go about making complaints about officers.

“We can do a lot of things with this show,” he said.