Granada Hills : Ex-Convicts to Offer Crime Deterrent Clues

Deeds such as theirs are the reason Neighborhood Watch was created: a car thief, a drug dealer, a business burglar, a residential burglar and a street robber. On Thursday, the five ex-convicts will offer insights into their methods at a community forum in Granada Hills.

Sponsored by Neighborhood Watch chapters in Granada Hills, Porter Ranch and Chatsworth, the Crime Awareness Forum aims to raise residents’ awareness of how criminals operate, organizer Jeanne Travers said.

“Half of preventing yourself from being a victim is to be aware,” she said. “A lot of people are still unaware.”

Travers said the ex-convicts will discuss the elements criminals look for in selecting targets and ways that people can keep their cars, homes and families safe.

Rick Gibby and Henry Izzo, senior lead officers in the Los Angeles Police Department’s Devonshire Division, will lead the session. Although small children usually don’t attend, Travers said, older children are welcome. “Teen-agers could probably benefit from it,” she said.

The free event will begin at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at First Presbyterian Church’s Lee Hall, 10400 Zelzah Ave., Granada Hills. For more information, call (818) 363-7955.