Residents Vent Frustration With Policing Plan : Crime: They tell commissioner at south Los Angeles forum they want more input into the LAPD’s much-touted community policing concept and less friction with Chief Willie Williams.

Frustrated by public safety problems in south Los Angeles, residents last week urged Police Commissioner Deirdre Hill to help them play bigger roles in the city’s community policing program.

“There is no shared decision-making,” said Melanie Markham of Baldwin Hills. “As far as we know, little has happened.”

Markham was among about 50 residents and community organizers at a forum Tuesday night at Foshay Junior High School that featured Hill, vice president of the Los Angeles Police Commission.

During the cordial 90-minute session, Hill responded to residents’ concerns, ranging from the selection of block watch captains to the friction between the commission and Police Chief Willie L. Williams.

“Is there a real rift between the commission and the chief?” the Rev. Reginald Jones asked. “Seems like in the midst of friction we are the ones who are losing.”

Jones and several others were eager to assess their chances of fighting crime in their neighborhoods. They said Chief Williams and the commission must work together if such an effort is to succeed.

The City Council recently overturned the commission’s reprimand of Williams for allegedly lying to commission members about getting free hotel accommodations in Las Vegas. Williams denied lying and appealed to the council.

Hill, who was noncommittal about specific changes recommended by residents for the Police Department’s community policing plan, said the commission and Williams maintain a strong working relationship.

“I don’t see a major rift between the commission and the chief,” she said. “There’s a natural tension. There’s no personal animosity.”

Yet on Thursday, Police Commission President Enrique Hernandez Jr. and immediate past president Rabbi Gary Greenebaum resigned, accusing the council of destroying the prospects for LAPD reform.

Greenebaum had been expected to join Hill at the community forum Tuesday, but organizers were told late that afternoon that he would be unable to participate because of a scheduling conflict.

The forum was organized by a nonprofit community group called Action for Grassroots Empowerment & Neighborhood Development Alternatives, or AGENDA. Its members have been outspoken critics of the department’s much-touted community policing plan.

The plan essentially calls for officers to get to know residents and merchants in a way that will help police solve crimes. Last week, residents passed along several concerns to Hill.

Many said the department-appointed neighborhood representatives are not always the people who know their block best. Residents worry that too many senior citizens and too few younger residents are part of the program.

Some of the LAPD’s harshest critics say the department continues to limit the influence of strong community representatives, instead surrounding itself with boosters.

In October, AGENDA submitted a list of proposals to Deputy Chief Mark Kroeker, hoping to be more involved in shaping the area’s community policing plan.

The proposals include allowing residents to help select advisory board representatives, creating a database of community groups, churches, schools, businesses and others involved in the policing effort, and including youth representatives at all levels.

Kroeker, commanding officer of the department’s South Bureau, has said the proposals are being considered by the chief.

But he said that although the program is being adjusted regularly, some aspects are not negotiable for reasons of logistics, safety or policy.

Hill encouraged residents to continue bringing their concerns to police and commission officials. Many efforts to improve conditions are under way, she said, but some are bound to take time.