DOWNTOWN : City Wants Armed Guards at Ford Hotel
A hearing is scheduled Monday in Superior Court on a preliminary injunction that would require armed security guards at the Ford Hotel, described as one of the worst drug-trafficking spots in the city by the city attorney’s office.
The hearing follows a narcotics abatement lawsuit filed by the FALCON Narcotics Abatement Unit against Michail and Sofia Kishner of Beverly Hills and Peter and Innes Kaminsky of Hollywood, owners of the hotel at 1000 E. 7th St. (FALCON stands for Focused Attack Linking Community Organizations and Neighborhoods.)
“It was so bad that it was commonplace to read arrest reports that started out with a narrative that read, ‘While on foot patrol on the third floor of the Ford Hotel . . . ,’ ” said Mary Clare Molidor, an assistant city attorney. “When you see a situation where the police end up being the security officers for that hotel, then there’s something obviously very wrong with the ownership and management of the building.”
The hotel owners could not be reached for comment.
Among the improvements the injunction seeks are installation of a buzzer system at the hotel’s entrance, screening of guests and posting two armed guards.
The action follows an 18-month investigation that netted 1,000 grams of cocaine with an estimated street value of $117,000, and 46 drug-related arrests, police said.
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