We Get Letters
A Neighbor recently gave us a “heads up” about suspicious activity at his home. We want to share this information although the time has passed. We applaude our neighbor for sharing the information in such a thorough manner. (Please Note that we did not include the photographs for legal reasons.)
I am writing to inform residents about two suspicious individuals I found outside my home today.
The gentlemen in the black cap and jacket knocked on my door. By the time I arrived at the door, he exited the porch through a side gate holding a package and walked quickly across the street to two green trash bins sitting in the street outside 1621 S Point View St. He opened up one of the bins, pulled out a backpack, put the package in the backpack, and pulled out a cap and jacket (he was not wearing the cap and jacket when he was on my porch). He slung the backpack over his shoulder and proceeded to walk down the middle of the street (heading south) where he passed a second gentleman who was standing outside 1635 S Point View St thumbing through his phone.
When I went outside, the man with the backpack was already gone. I walked across the street to look inside the green bin to see if he had dumped something (which he did not). By the time I looked up at the second guy, he was jogging in the opposite direction and turned the corner at Airdrome heading west.
Anyway, I was able to get two good photos of these men who may be familiar to officers who patrol our neighborhood. Please pass along.
Thank you for the “heads up” about the suspicious activity. It is very important that we keep our eyes open for incidents like this.
While we can certainly share this type of information with neighbors through our newsletter or Nextdoor, it is critical that we report these incidents to the police when they happen. Unfortunately, by the time I saw your email, valuable time had passed. By reporting the incident in real time, the officers who patrol the area might have been able to apprehend the offenders.
Our Senior Lead Officers (SLOs) from LAPD Wilshire Division attend our meetings regularly. Unfortunately, they can only act on and/or inform us about incidents that have been reported. At almost every meeting, neighbors tell the officers about similar incidents. The officers say each time that the incidents did not appear on their logs or in their daily updates. They tell us about incidents that happened in adjacent communities, but often say they had no reports from our area.
I am sharing your note with Senior Lead Officer Adam Green who is responsible for your immediate area, and Laura Anderson, our NU President. As you indicated, the photos might be useful to LAPD. I will also include a write-up about the incident in our next newsletter (anonymously, of course). We also encourage you to come to meetings when you can so you can get to know the SLOs and your neighbors. It takes a village to prevent crime.
Again, thank you for sharing this information and photos.
Make An Active Shooter Plan
Like we plan for earthquakes, in our current environment of unrest, LAPD encourages you to make active shooter plans.
This is not to raise fear but to be prepared. Los Angeles is a big city with many venues of risk.
If an active Shooter is in your vicinity:
- Run! Have an escape route and plan in mind
- Leave your belongings behind *
- Keep your hands visible.
- Hide in an area out of the shooter’s view
- Block entry to your hiding place and lock the doors *
- Silence your cell phone.
- Fight! As a last resort and only when your life is in imminent danger * Attempt to incapacitate the shooter *
- Act with physical aggression and throw items at the active shooter.
When Law Enforcement Arrives:
- Remain calm and follow instructions
- Put down any items in your hand (i.e. bags, jackets)
- Raise your hands and spread your fingers
- Keep your hands visible at all times
- Avoid quick movements toward officers such as holding on to them for safety
- Avoid pointing, screaming or yelling
- Do not stop to ask officers for help or direction when evacuating
Provide Law Enforcement or 911 Operator:
- The Location of the active shooter
- The number of shooters
- Physical description of shooters
- Number and type of weapons held by shooters
- Number of potential victims at the location.
Volunteer’s Wanted
Want to help fight crime in your neighborhood?
Get Involved. Partner with LAPD to make our community a safer places to live, to work and to play.
For more information, contact Wilshire Community Relations Office at 213 473-0200.
LAPD Numbers
Emergency …………………………………………….911
Non-Emergency ……………………………………311 …………….877.275.5273 or (877-ASK-LAPD)
Non-Emergency Dispatch ……..213.928.8223
Wilshire Station ……………………213.473.0476
Senior Lead Officer Adam Green
North of 18th Street …………….213.793.0647
Senior Lead Officer Tim Estevez
South of 18th Street …………….213.793.0786
Anonymous Tip Line…………..877.LAW.FULL ………………………………………………877.529.3855
Call 911 immediately if you see persons breaking into homes or loitering around neighbors’ homes.
