A Reassuring Police Presence

As Los Angeles police stations grow old and crowded, more and more officers are fanning out to small satellite stations across the city and the San Fernando Valley. The newest is set to open later this fall at the Promenade Mall in Woodland Hills, giving officers higher visibility to the thousands of filmgoers who flock each weekend to the mall’s 16-screen movie theater.

Getting officers out of the station and out of their patrol cars is a good idea. It gives cops on the beat a better sense of the neighborhoods and people they protect. And it gives residents a chance to see officers in friendly situations. Citywide, the Los Angeles Police Department operates more than 120 substations or community service centers, offering everything from a place to file reports on a stolen stereo to a spot for tired cops to catch a break. Many of the satellites operate in space that is either donated or leased at reduced rates, making them fairly cheap to run. Some use volunteers to handle phones, answer questions or file paperwork.

Smart as they are, the satellite stations have come under review by the LAPD brass to make sure resources are being used efficiently and distributed fairly. That’s wise because it would be easy to get carried away. Opening too many offices stretches the resources of an already understaffed department. Fairness is also an issue. For example, is it smart to put a staffed office in a neighborhood with almost no crime simply because residents or merchants offer a free storefront? The risk: Other neighborhoods that truly need more officers on the street may not get them. That undermines the credibility of a public police force--where resources are assigned according to need, not tax base.

In the Valley, satellite offices have opened in places where they can do considerable good. The new station in the Promenade Mall, for instance, will be staffed during the afternoons and evenings and over the weekend--when movie crowds are largest and the risk of crime is highest. A smiling officer with a badge and a gun goes a long way toward discouraging fights or car break-ins. Other mall stations have proven successful at Northridge Fashion Center and Topanga Plaza, where officers thwart everything from shoplifters to parking lot muggers.

Community service centers likewise spare victims of car break-ins and other minor crimes the hassle of filling out reports in one of the Valley’s five stations, where officers often are more harried and the surroundings not nearly so pleasant. Satellites in Sherman Oaks, Sun Valley and North Hollywood are a hit with residents.

Los Angeles police face the challenge of making officers more responsive to the communities they serve even as they are asked to do more with tight budgets. Bringing police out into the neighborhoods is a good step. But commanders should weigh carefully the benefits of each new site and not be tempted by spacious quarters and positive public relations.