Police, Community Boards Map Crime-Fighting Strategy at Summit

When community-based policing was first introduced in Van Nuys, Flip Smith was certain other business people would quickly join in a partnership with police to fight the ills of prostitution, panhandling and graffiti.

“I knew we were going to have at least 300 or 400 people at our first meeting,” the tire store owner said. “I was wrong. Only about 12 or 13 showed.”

Not easily discouraged, Smith and a core group of community organizers continued pushing two years ago until scores of businesses got involved in beginning cleanup efforts. They obtained cooperation from motel owners to crack down on prostitution. Instead of cash, they urged customers to hand out cards to panhandlers referring them to social service agencies. And they quickly took steps to paint over graffiti.

That Smith and others like him have generated interest across the city seemed evident Saturday when about 500 police personnel and members of community advisory boards met for daylong workshops at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

The summit was sponsored by the Los Angeles Police Department with the help of its 18 community advisory boards established partly with a National Institute of Justice grant to bolster community relations with the police.

In the workshops, community representatives and police officers sat side by side discussing the need for strong Neighborhood Watch programs, the importance of cooperation between business and community residents and the necessity to reach out to young people.

“Safety starts at the community level,” said Mayor Richard Riordan. “It starts from the bottom up to the top.”

Virginia Taylor Hughes, a member of the 77th Street station advisory board in South-Central Los Angeles, called communication the key to a good working relationship with police.

“Police officers need to be able to express their frustrations about the job with community people,” she said. “Too often they just lock their feelings inside, and that’s not good.”

She said residents need to do more to express their appreciation of the good work that’s done by police in their communities.

Police Chief Willie L. Williams, who has promised to improve community ties with the police, said the summit was evidence that much has been accomplished.

“We have begun a journey and now we are well on our way,” he said. “The LAPD cannot exist apart from the community. We must be a part of the community.”