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View Winners → LA County Sheriff’s Department canvasses unincorporated areas
Arcadia Weekly Jul 18, 2013
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By Terry Miller
On Saturday, July 13, Temple Sheriff’s Station’s Captain Christopher Nee and more than 100 envoys from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department took to the streets in the unincorporated areas of Monrovia, Arcadia, and Duarte to kick off the “The Public Trust Partnership Program.”
The Public Trust Partnership Program was designed to enhance public trust, reduce crime, and improve the quality of life in the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County by addressing issues identified by the community. The program utilized the resources of the Countywide Services Division, Temple Sheriff’s Station, COPS (Community Oriented Policing Services) Bureau, Reserve Forces Bureau, and volunteers from the Community Law Enforcement Partnership Program, as well as other County, State and Federal agencies.
Members of the Sheriff’s Department gathered at Pamela Park, located in the unincorporated area of Duarte. Deputies and support staff went door to door for several hours braving the heat to meet the residents and solicit information regarding criminal activity as well as quality of life issues.
Deputies and volunteers utilized a prefilled out survey as they went door to door to address concerns from each resident. Perhaps the most common concerns in one neighborhood were “gang activity and drugs…”
Despite a few suspicious and skeptical looks, residents were very cooperative according to Deputy William Harrington who was one of those in charge of operations Saturday morning being Temple Station’s Coordinator. Deputy Harrington said residents on one street were coming out of their homes to greet the volunteers.
Residents seemed very pleased that the department was making a concerted effort to tackle a complex problem in urban areas of Los Angeles County not covered by other police agencies.
As the ‘cost-neutral program’ expands, it will multiply the field forces of all Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Patrol Stations according to a press release sent out last week.
The majority of residents were happy to fill out the Public Trust Partnership Program community survey at each residence in the program area. Survey responses will be used to identify the ongoing quality of life and crime issues deemed most important by the citizens served by Temple Station.
Once all the data is collected from Saturday’s survey, Nee and his emissaries will then “interact with the community to develop and implement strategies to combat those issues identified by residents.”
These determinations may include campaigns focused on burglary suppression, narcotics clampdowns, gang mitigation, graffiti/vandalism reduction, juvenile delinquency, neighborhood safety after dark issues ( many on Saturday said they simply do not go out after dark), abandoned vehicles, stray animal control, illegal vendor enforcement, loud parties, and enhanced traffic enforcement.
The fundamental principle of the “Public Trust Partnership Program” is to establish and nurture positive relationships with the people the Sheriff’s Department serves.
The Sheriff’s Department’s mission is “to persistently cultivate meaningful partnerships with diverse communities throughout Los Angeles County and to enhance public safety through a focused effort between law enforcement and the public.”
