Issue: How Effective Has the Wilshire-Corridor Police Foot Patrol Been?

Carmida Araugo-- Hot dog street vendor It’s been good, better for my business. People used to ask me for free food, free hot dogs every day and now that’s all stopped. Before the police started patrolling, people begged for too much money. Once somebody even stole the chips off my cart. Now, though, I’m not scared of people approaching me. I feel safe. They should definitely continue this patrol, even though now I get too many parking tickets (laughing).

Amir Paroo--Co-owner of Benny Office Supply

There’s been a slight decrease in crime, but I think it should be more consistent in order to make a real difference. I’ll give credit where it’s due--the panhandling has gone down. I don’t feel bad about walking outside now. There used to be regulars, beggars who hung out two or three times a day at the same time every day. The two officers they have are fine, but the more police they put out, the better. There’s just still too much panhandling going on.

Kim Thompson-- Foot patrol officer

Things are a lot better now. People aren’t camping out on the street anymore. They’re staying off Wilshire altogether. The merchants are really thrilled; they want to keep us permanently. We talk to people, and they tell us what’s going on. Most people are afraid to talk to police officers; they don’t think we’re approachable. But now a lot of people here say, “Hi, Kim!” We’re on a first-name basis now with a lot of people. Our policing is more effective walking, because we’re not as visible as we are in a car. We can catch robberies, panhandling and other things in the act.

Larry Pei-- Owner of Ambassador Flowers It’s much, much better. There are a lot fewer people asking for money now. My wife used to get bothered a lot by them but not anymore. I’ve noticed the ones who were always here are gone. As far as business goes, it’s helped a lot in terms of a customer’s image of the place. I’ve been here 15 years, and I’ve seen a lot of changes, a lot of things go downhill. This foot patrol is bringing us up again; I hope we get even more officers. I’ll keep my fingers crossed.