Long Beach : Police Mini-Stations to Open With Staff of Volunteers

A police mini-station staffed by volunteers is expected to open at 7th Street and Rose Avenue next month, followed by one at 948 Daisy Ave. in the Willmore City neighborhood.

Tuesday, the City Council approved a pilot program aimed at creating police community centers in troubled neighborhoods.

The city will pay the operating costs for the first year, but the mini-stations are then expected to be funded by donations. Although an officer will be available for part of the week, the stations will be staffed mostly by volunteers who will help record complaints for the Police Department and become a neighborhood clearinghouse on crime-related issues.

Supporters said the mini-stations will help residents take control of their neighborhoods and lead to much-needed improvements. Detractors question the effectiveness of such bare-bones facilities run by volunteers.

Residents from the South Wrigley neighborhood also asked for a mini-station, but the proposal needs to be revised to specify how the neighborhood plans to fund and staff its community center, according to Michael K. Parker, the city’s Neighborhood Services Bureau manager.

The South Wrigley neighborhood, bounded by Pacific Coast Highway, Hill Street, Pacific Avenue and the Los Angeles River, is the latest area added to the city’s neighborhood improvement program, Parker said.