Valleywide : Police Service Centers Provide Convenience
Police service centers continued to crop up in the San Fernando Valley this week, offering nearby residents a place to file reports, receive information and meet with detectives.
One facility opened Thursday in the 8700 block of Parthenia Place in North Hills and a second site is scheduled to open today at the California Federal Bank branch in the 4800 block of Laurel Canyon Boulevard.
Service centers are open part time and staffed by Los Angeles Police Department officers.
“Anything you can do at the front desk of a police station can be done here,” said LAPD Officer Ed Brentlinger. About 70 such centers are operating in the Los Angeles area, said Noelia Rodriguez, spokeswoman for Mayor Richard Riordan, who participated in the opening ceremony of the North Hills facility.
Officials said the service centers provide an informal, convenient alternative for residents who live miles from full-fledged LAPD stations.
The North Hollywood facility “probably will attract mostly Valley Village, Studio City and North Hollywood people,” said Brentlinger. “It’s not close to the police station and it can really provide a service to the community.”
The service centers are open part time on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. They may be opened for additional hours if citizen volunteers become available, Brentlinger said.
“It has the potential to be open five days a week, or even six or seven days,” Brentlinger said.
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