Central Los Angeles : WALKING WITH SECURITY

A resident patrol program at Avalon Gardens housing project in South-Central Los Angeles kicked off with a celebration Thursday.

The resident patrol consists of five Avalon Gardens residents who have gone through three months of training, security trainer Reggie Stewart said.

Patrollers walk the area, carrying radios to contact the security kiosk in case of any problems.

“The main deal with this is to observe and report,” Stewart said.

The city Housing Authority has invested $2.5 million in renovating Avalon Gardens and helping to set up the patrol program, which also received a $104,000 U.S. Department of Justice grant. The money pays for the equipment and patrollers’ salaries of $6 an hour.

According to Don Smith, executive director of the city Housing Authority, the program is the result of residents interested in the making their community safe.

This is the first program of its kind funded by the housing authority, he added.

An Avalon Gardens resident for seven years, Bertha Simmons, 49, said she enjoys interacting with her neighbors while on resident patrol.

“It has given me a new outlook on the residents and the development,” she said.