Council OKs New Valley Station

The long-promised sixth police station in the San Fernando Valley was approved by the Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday, despite concerns that a shortage of officers will hamper staffing.

Construction of the $29-million, 53,000-square-foot station is scheduled to begin in January at 11121 N. Sepulveda Blvd., near the San Fernando Mission.

“Delivering the new Valley police station is something that was committed to over 10 years ago,” Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski told her colleagues. “It’s much needed.”

The project was included in a 1989 bond measure but the proceeds ran out before construction could start.

The council also voted to use the site for a parking garage and repair yard, which will delay construction by about two months but save the city about $1.3 million in construction costs.

The staffing concern staffing was raised by Councilman Dennis Zine, a Los Angeles Police Department sergeant and former police union official. Zine, who is on a leave of absence until his retirement in January, praised the project but warned that the LAPD’s current staffing crisis could present a problem.

“They can’t staff existing stations, so I’m very concerned about how they are going to staff the new station,” Zine said. “I don’t want to see us with a vacant new station at a cost of $25 million.”

LAPD Cmdr. Val Paniccia of the Valley Bureau said he was confident the North Valley Area Station will be well-staffed when it opens in late 2003.

“By the time the station gets built, I think the department will be well on its way to growing again,” Paniccia said. “The station may not be 100% full when it opens, but it will be able to serve the area.”

Officers at other Valley stations that now serve the north Valley will be redeployed to the new station, he said.

But Zine said understaffed stations could have their ranks further diminished in the shuffle, and that the new station will need additional support staff.

“It will be like robbing Peter to pay Paul,” Zine said.

Miscikowski, who chairs the council’s Public Safety Committee, said the staffing question will be closely monitored.

“Obviously that issue on recruitment is something we need to pay special attention to,” she said.

The LAPD has lost about 800 officers in recent years as attrition has outpaced recruitment. As of Tuesday, the force was at 8,979 officers.

City officials blame the recruiting woes on many factors, from morale problems to competition from dot-com firms. The department once enrolled 60 recruits every month; the number dropped to 40 in February, to 30 in April and to 19 in June.

The city is counting on help from a $1-million advertising campaign launched in May to recruit officers, and new incentives, including signing bonuses for new officers. Capt. Kenneth Garner, Foothill Division commanding officer, said his station has about 300 employees, 45 officers and civilians fewer than at peak staffing. He does not know how the redeployment of some of his officers to the new station would affect service.