NORTH HOLLYWOOD : Citizen Surveillance Program Gets $600
The Los Angeles City Council has voted to give North Hollywood and Studio City residents $600 to buy walkie-talkie radios for use in a civilian anti-crime surveillance program.
At the recommendation of Councilman Joel Wachs, the council voted Tuesday to subtract the money from Wachs’ public service account, which provides $10,000 annually to fund communities groups.
Los Angeles Police Capt. Richard Wahler said the two-way radios will be used by residents who are participating in a police-assisted surveillance program to crack down on car thieves, graffiti vandals and other criminals in North Hollywood and Studio City.
He said residents and business owners have already raised about $11,000 through T-shirt sales, corporate donations and other fund-raising events to pay for about a dozen radios for the program.
The radios’ reception is clear, Wahler said, because Texaco Inc. has paid to install a repeater tower on top of its Universal City office building to relay the radio signals.
The captain said he expects the group to stake out shopping mall parking lots during the Christmas holidays to target car thieves. The radios also can be used during special community events such as 10-kilometer races, he added.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
