Task Force Targets Crime-Plagued Area

A team of city agencies aiming to root out crime and blight has set its sights on a 10-block Winnetka neighborhood of rundown apartment buildings plagued by drug dealing, vandalism and other ills.

Started in 1997, the Los Angeles Citywide Nuisance Abatement Program has targeted abandoned structures and nuisance properties, combining resources from the Los Angeles Police Department, the city attorney, the Building and Safety Department and the Housing Department.

Last year, the task force joined forces to clean up North Hills, driving crime down by at least 20%, said Deputy City Atty. Tina Hess, who supervises the program.

Police may decide to beef up bicycle patrols in a given neighborhood, for example, while building inspectors crack down on code violations and lawyers from the city attorney’s office help property owners evict law-breaking tenants. Officials also teach residents about such city services as “who [to] call when you have a couch to throw out--so you don’t just leave it lying on the curb,” Hess said.

The Winnetka neighborhood, home to about 8,400 residents, is bounded by Winnetka Avenue to the east, Mason Avenue to the west, Keswick Street to the north and Sherman Way to the south. The area has long been a hot spot for criminal activity, said Lt. Gary Hallden of the LAPD’s West Valley Division.

“It’s a whole different approach,” Hallden said of the nuisance abatement team. “Instead of just responding to a crime and trying to solve the crime by catching the bad guy . . . we’re trying to deal with long-term issues.”

City Atty. James Hahn, LAPD officers and other officials will discuss efforts at a community meeting at 6 p.m. today at Sutter Middle School, 7330 Winnetka Ave.