Police Reduce Patrols in Hunt for Molester : Assaults: Authorities note limited resources. Concerned parents, teachers promise to remain vigilant.

Parents and teachers, still worried about a serial child molester, reacted with resignation Tuesday to a decision by police to scale back a two-month manhunt.

Through last week, more than 150 officers were assigned to blanket San Fernando Valley-area schools and protect kids from a man suspected of assaulting 31 victims, mostly schoolchildren.

Today, 11 detectives from a December peak of 27 continue to work full time on the case, in which the last attack occurred Dec. 3, said Capt. Richard Eide, who is heading up the remaining unit.

“We haven’t had an incident now in more than a month,” Lt. John Dunkin said. “At some point in time, when you’re talking about 150 officers every day, you’re talking about a significant drain.

“We’re not doing this just simply because we haven’t had an event in about a month. There are other things we’re looking at that I can’t comment on that make us think were doing the right thing.”

Sara Coughlin, the regional superintendent of schools for the Valley, said she was told Monday that police would be scaling back patrols. She said she trusts the police decision.

“This guy--or guys--is not concentrating on one little area and I don’t know that all the money in the world could provide an absolutely safe environment around every school in the San Fernando Valley,” she said. “We’re certainly encouraging parents to maintain their vigilance in walking their children to school or otherwise seeing that their children are escorted to school.”

But while parents and others expressed their understanding for the difficult choices that police are forced to make, some also said that they wouldn’t worry any less just because the attacks seem to have abated.

“I understand that everybody’s strapped, but children’s safety is the most important issue,” said Helen Bernstein, president of United Teachers Los Angeles. “I’d rather have a store robbed than a child molested if I had to make a choice.

“I hope they haven’t made a mistake.” Beginning Monday, auto theft officers who doubled as morning school patrols were again searching for car thieves, and undercover narcotics agents who stood sentry around schools were sent back to catch drug dealers, Eide said. Regular beat officers continue to scour neighborhoods around schools as part of their usual patrols, Eide said.

Most Valley residents interviewed said they understand that police have to direct scarce resources at immediate problems. And even if the molester were caught, people like Fullbright Avenue Elementary PTA President Jan Sandman said Valley children would likely face other predators.

“We can’t just rely on police to do everything for us because they have limited resources,” Sandman said. “Our children are our responsibility. It should be up to the parents to see that their children get to school safely.”

But police, who hinted at further reductions next week, said they are better able now to focus their efforts.

Since news reports that a man had assaulted several children on their way to school throughout the central and West Valley first broke in November, parents and school officials have beefed up their safety instructions to children and their safety precautions for them.

While teachers lectured students on staying away from strangers and parents organized “safe corridor” programs in which neighbors do morning patrols, attacks continued.

Police scaled back once before--for the Thanksgiving holiday. Before they could gear up, an 11-year-old girl was grabbed as she walked to Van Nuys Elementary School. Two days later, on Dec. 3, and the day after the beefed-up patrols were resumed, the serial molester allegedly accosted two children on Van Nuys Elementary’s grounds.

To James Grover of Fullbright Avenue Elementary School those two incidents are telling.

“There was a strong police presence and he was still very active--whether police presence is there or not, I think this person was compelled to do what he did,” Grover said. “When we were under siege, so to speak, it was a great feeling to have that added (police) protection, but I realize that that’s a costly thing.”