Van Nuys : Residents, Police Agree to Share More Info

A meeting this week of the commanders of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Van Nuys Division with the division’s community advisory board and Neighborhood Watch leaders was successful in laying the groundwork for better communications among the three, advisory board member Tom Grant said Friday.

Grant, who is also a board member of the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Assn., said neighbors have found it difficult in the past to get information from police about criminal activity and the outcome of incidents in their communities. People have also had problems giving information about criminal cases to the police because they haven’t known who to give it to.

The meeting Wednesday night at division headquarters was the first forum in recent memory that brought together the Community Police Advisory Board and district leaders of the Neighborhood Watch program. The meeting was attended by about a dozen board members, 60 Neighborhood Watch leaders and the top commanders at Van Nuys Division.

Capt. Richard Wemmer, commanding officer of the Van Nuys Division, sponsored the meeting to improve the Police Department’s relationships with the two community organizations.

“He’s very pro-active in terms of trying to obtain the greatest participation and information he can from the community so he can better do his job,” Grant said.