Granada Hills : LAPD Plans Area’s 2nd Service Center

Like their neighbors in North Hills, Granada Hills residents will soon have a community service center operated by Los Angeles Police Department officers, a police official said Friday.

Scheduled to open later this month, the center at 16263 San Fernando Mission Road will be “periodically staffed” by a combination of Devonshire Division officers and trained volunteers, said Capt. Vance Proctor, the area commanding officer.

The Los Angeles Police Commission approved the site Tuesday, along with a North Hills center at 8745 Parthenia St. that opened in July. Under the agreement, the department will lease the office space for $1 a year.

“It brings police service right into the community,” Proctor said, noting that it’s sometimes difficult for residents without transportation to visit the Devonshire station in Northridge.

In choosing the North Hills location, Proctor said, the goal was also to provide more law enforcement in an area he described as a “violent crime cluster.”

“We wanted to have a more visible presence of police in that area,” Proctor said.

Assisting in the effort to open the centers were members of Supporters of Law Enforcement in Devonshire (SOLID), a booster group that raised funds to refurbish the offices with new paint, carpet and electrical work.

“We never would have opened either one without SOLID,” Proctor said.

The North Hills center can be reached at (818) 756-7822. When it opens, the Granada Hills center’s number will be (818) 756-7824. Messages can be left at both locations, Proctor said.