Crime Down, but Do You Feel Safer?

Crime in the Los Angeles area is down for the seventh year in a row, according to FBI crime totals for 1998. Fewer Angelenos were robbed, burglarized, assaulted, raped or murdered last year than in the year before. Law enforcement experts credit the drop to a variety of factors, including a booming economy, declining unemployment, greater attention to community-based policing and tougher sentencing, such as the “three strikes” law. Yet public fears about crime persist.

PAMELA DAVEGA CARR asked area residents, including a Neighborhood Watch captain, the chairwoman of Seniors for Action and a police officer, whether they feel safer in their homes and neighborhoods than they did in years past.

BRENDA SHAW / Neighborhood Watch captain, Northridge

I feel just as safe as I did five years ago. I don’t feel a difference. Although statistics may show one thing, I think the younger kids are starting up again with the graffiti. There was a time when it [graffiti] was at a lull, but not anymore. I think that has a lot to with not being able to have a lot of patrol cars in the area.

I used to ride with the Volunteer Surveillance Team to catch the kids in the act and stop them, but that has stopped. The city doesn’t want to pay overtime for the officers, so there’s not a lot of money for officers to take part in extra things [like that].

I’ve been a Neighborhood Watch captain for 10 years because I care about my community and my block. I think people feel better knowing we are out there. It has a big impact on everybody. It has a big impact on people feeling more secure in their neighborhoods. They know we are there, watching.

EDITH GEBBIA / Chairwoman, Seniors for Action, Sherman Oaks

I don’t feel any safer than I did a few years ago. I never go out at night at all, unless someone in my family takes me. We had a Neighborhood Watch and it never really went anywhere. It simply went out of style. This area is mostly older people and they don’t want to be involved. Especially at night to walk and patrol areas, even the men are afraid.

I never see a patrol car in the neighborhood. We have complained about it, but the reason given by police was that there were not enough cars or patrol people available. The system is based on need, and Sherman Oaks is not needy enough. We have a lot of transients at Sherman Oaks Recreation Center and seniors are reluctant to walk down the streets with them there.

Just today Seniors for Action, 24 seniors in all, took a bus trip to the police station. We were discussing this topic, crime and safety, and most of them said they didn’t feel safe. I think seniors should learn to get out more and be aware, not just sit inside and watch television. People should familiarize themselves with local police stations. Rather than call 911, people should use their local police.

EDGAR PENARANDA / Officer, Burbank Police Department

I’ve seen incidents go down since 1986 when I came on. We were on more calls then and it has calmed down drastically. There are more preventive calls now rather than for what’s already occurred. Sometimes we have setbacks, like you take three steps forward and sometimes have to take a step back. But you’re still two steps ahead, and a little progress is better than nothing.

I think there are a lot of reasons for the drop in crime, like stiffer laws and public awareness. People are more interested in keeping their neighborhood safe. People are not as afraid to get involved. A lot of it is that cops and people are learning to work together. Officers are better educated now at dealing with the public, public issues and public needs. We need them [the public] like they need us.

Different assignments really help, for example, bike patrol and horseback patrol. Federal money has been budgeted for these special assignments. It puts more officers out there, and [they] are able to respond faster and give better service. The bad guys see that and think there are more cops out there than there used to be. These are high visibility jobs and are great PR.

Also, some television shows are helping too. People are learning to be less of a victim and that helps. You have to give some credit to the public because they are educating themselves to not be victims. I see the trend continuing. It’s got to continue because I think the public is more aware of what the police do now.