Police Foot Patrols Set for Business Areas

Los Angeles police officers Sunday will begin foot patrols in business areas in Sunland-Tujunga, giving police a higher profile and providing more protection to this community of 55,000, where residents have long felt neglected by the city.

“We’ve always called ourselves the forgotten stepchild,” said Kathy Anthony, a local tailor.

On Wednesday morning, about 75 members of the Sunland-Tujunga Chamber of Commerce met with police representatives to set up a business watch program that will work in coordination with the new community policing effort.

Community leaders have long complained about the lack of attention that Sunland-Tujunga has received, with only one police car permanently assigned to the area. In December, the Foothill Division added two more police cars that roam through the area but can be pulled off to other assignments.

The new foot patrols will add two police officers who will walk beats between 10 a.m. and 3 a.m., said Capt. Gus S. Drulias, who became the Foothill Division’s commanding officer in mid-November.

“We have been hiring additional personnel, so I do have a few extra officers to deploy around the area,” Drulias said.

Drulias said statistics that show violent crime has been slowly rising in Sunland-Tujunga, and the community’s isolation from the rest of the city prompted him to search for ways to heighten the police presence there.

But even before that, officers who patrol the Sunland-Tujunga community had already taken it upon themselves to get out of their squad cars and into the community.

“I’m tired of just sitting in my car and waiting for the little red light to go on,” said Officer Ernst Cabriales, who recently met with about 65 business owners.

“It’s so nice to see an officer and be able to say, ‘Hi Ernst,’ ” said Anthony, a 36-year resident, who added that the question among business owners is “Have you met Ernst yet?”

As a police officer, Cabriales said he can do a better job of handling his many routine calls if he also is working toward long-term solutions for such problems as panhandlers who may be harassing people at a shopping center.

“The black-and-white is in a void, and there is no human interaction,” said Cabriales, who has been patrolling Sunland-Tujunga for about a year. Although he will still be officially designated as being in a patrol car, Cabriales will join the foot patrol officers in getting to know the businesses.

Drulias said the new community patrols were originally scheduled to start last month, but were delayed by the Jan. 17 Northridge earthquake.