Understanding the Riots--Six Months Later : A New Blue Line / REMAKING THE LAPD : Looking Ahead: Voices From the Community : FRANCISCO ARGUETA

Looking out his apartment window, Francisco Argueta sees the same crime-ridden Pico-Union neighborhood he saw six months ago.

“The streets here are dangerous, and the police are never around when you need them,” Argueta, 39, said in Spanish. “There’s no difference from before.”

The soft-spoken Salvadoran immigrant said he would like to see more effective police patrols and more Spanish-speaking officers in the neighborhood. The Rampart station, which covers Pico-Union, Koreatown and other areas, is the busiest in the Los Angeles Police Department.

“It’s not just a matter of the quantity of officers, though,” said Argueta, a social worker. “It’s a matter of quality.”

Last week, Argueta said, police stopped an elderly couple in their car and forced them to the sidewalk because they thought the car was stolen.

They were later released, but Argueta said he has seen several similar arbitrary actions against Central Americans since the riots. The continuing misunderstandings between police and the community have been disappointing, he said.

More Latinos on the police force and in the LAPD’s upper echelons may result in better relations with the Police Department, Argueta said; more Spanish-speaking officers could ease dialogue and prevent wrongful arrests or citations. During the selection process for police chief, Argueta was watching closely, hoping that a Latino would be chosen.

“If there aren’t any Latinos in a high position of power (in the LAPD), it’s going to be hard for police to recognize what’s going on in this area,” Argueta said. “It might help tip the balance to getting fairer treatment for both privileged and underprivileged communities.”

Argueta said he would like to see more openness from the department. “The community needs to have more of a say in what the police do here, and they need to listen to us,” he said. “We also need to have community forums here so that we can say which areas need to be patrolled.”

In addition to the forums, Argueta suggested that police let Pico-Union residents know whom to talk to in the department and how to efficiently get services. “All I know is we’re supposed to call 911,” he said.

Changing police attitudes toward the community and convincing them that the community deserves services may take months or years, Argueta said, but he is optimistic.

“We want to respect our police, not hate them,” he said. “As more fresh, open minds are added to the police force, I think things will change.”