MISSION HILLS : Police Substation Opens in a Mall

After years of serving as a hangout for bands of young cruisers in their souped-up cars and trucks, La Rinda Plaza will be cruised by another kind of vehicle often associated with trouble.

And the residents couldn’t be happier.

About 50 of them came out Monday to check out the police cars and the officers who will drive them to and from the new Los Angeles Police Department’s Foothill Division substation at La Rinda Plaza shopping center.

“I used to be mad at the police,” said 73-year-old Eloisa Arebalos, who lives across the street from the mall, 14719 Rinaldi St. “For two years they would pass by the neighborhoods but do nothing about the problems. Now I feel safer with the police cars coming to the plaza.”

Located in a former bridal shop and leased rent-free by the mall’s managers, Sunwest Property Management, the substation will be available to police to file reports on a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week basis.

An officer will be on hand five days a week between 10 a.m. and noon to take complaints directly from the public.

“The people can use the center for endless problems,” said Officer Beth Samaniego, who began working the substation Monday. She has already fielded complaints ranging from neighborhood panhandling to parking problems.

“This frees the patrol cars for serious crimes,” Samaniego said.

The shopping center has been plagued with problems related to cruising, particularly the noise and traffic congestion stemming from the hundreds of cars that streamed in and out on Sunday nights.

In July, the complaints forced city officials to order the mall’s managers to block entrances with gates on weekends, hire security and limit hours of stores.

Now, the cruisers have disappeared and many of the problems along with them. But mall officials will appeal three of the conditions, including the limitation of hours, at a zoning hearing today.

“It’s been absolutely peaceful,” said Stephen Chan, managing director of Sunwest Property Management. “I was here over the weekend, and there was no cruising.”

“The plaza itself is improving,” said Officer Tim Flores, who has worked with the community to solve the problem. “And the community substation will help. Officers will become familiar with the problem spots around this area as they cruise around.”

Councilman Richard Alarcon, who started the city crackdown on the plaza, called the substation “icing on the cake.”

Meanwhile, police officers from the Foothill Division will continue the substation trend. The division plans two more substations, one in Sylmar and the other in Mission Hills.

“We’re going back to the roots,” said Capt. Ron Bergmann, commander of the Foothill Division. “Bringing community police back to the community.”