🚓 Sheriffs talk pickpocketers, bikes on sidewalks

Sergeants Fanny Lapkin and Jason Duron of the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station gave a rundown of crime stats to the Public Safety Commission tonight at their monthly meeting.

In September 2023, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department reported that the West Hollywood Station personnel responded to 1,699 calls for service, with 73 requiring an emergency response. The station made 38 felony arrests and 90 misdemeanor arrests. The average response times were 3.4 minutes for emergency calls, 9.9 minutes for priority calls, and 29.2 minutes for routine calls. These times have remained relatively consistent from month to month.

Part 1 Crimes in West Hollywood increased by approximately 10% compared to September 2022, totaling 182 incidents. Of these, the West district accounted for 50% (91 incidents), the City Center for 18% (32 incidents), and the East End for 32% (59 incidents). The majority of Part 1 crimes were thefts, grand thefts, petty thefts, and vehicle burglaries, accounting for 113 out of 182 incidents.

Specifically, there were 36 pickpocket incidents in the Rainbow District, where criminals target crowded venues. The department’s entertainment policing team is working closely with business management to address this issue. In September, there were 17 incidents of grand theft auto, six of which involved vehicles with keys left inside. Additionally, there were 34 vehicle break-ins.

Regarding traffic-related incidents, there were seven DUI arrests, three of which involved traffic collisions. There were also three vehicle-versus-pedestrian collisions and four vehicle-versus-bicyclist collisions. Notable incidents include a robbery on September 1st in the 8400 block of Santa Monica Boulevard, where victims were targeted for their watches and jewelry, and another robbery on September 15th at a retail store in the 7100 block of Santa Monica Boulevard, where the suspect displayed a handgun.

The department has installed new license plate reader cameras and made two arrests based on this technology. For community engagement, station volunteers donated 250 hours in September, and the Community Academy is in its sixth week. Upcoming events include the AIDS Walk LA on October 15th, with road closures planned, and preparations for Halloween, expecting a large turnout.

The department is also working on a more detailed crime analysis chart, as requested in a previous session, and will provide traffic citation data once computer system issues are resolved.

SHOOTING & ROBBERY

Sergeant Lapkin provided additional details to the Public Safety Commission on Monday night about a shooting incident that occurred Sunday at Apartment 200, a bar located in the 7700 block of Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood. The suspect, who was upset for being asked to leave the bar, was immediately arrested at the scene and remains in custody. The victim, an employee of the bar, sustained non-life-threatening injuries and is currently in stable condition at a medical facility. The incident was described as targeted, not random, and is under active investigation.

Regarding a previously mentioned robbery that took place in the 7100 block of Santa Monica Boulevard, where the suspect had pulled out a gun, Sergeant Lapkin stated she did not have immediate information on the suspect’s current custody status. Given that the robbery occurred on September 15th, she speculated that the individual might no longer be in custody, although he could not confirm this.

PICKPOCKETERS

Commissioner Adam Eramian brought up an ongoing issue with pickpocket incidents, particularly frequent in the Rainbow District of West Hollywood. The commissioner expressed concerns about the persistence of these crimes and the seeming inability to curb them effectively. Sergeant Lapkin responded by stating that it’s a complex problem with no easy solution, particularly because many of the pickpocket incidents are committed by individuals who are in the U.S. on 90-day visas, primarily from Central America. These individuals often commit crimes and then leave the country, making it a difficult issue to address at the local law enforcement level. Sergeant Lapkin urged community members and business owners to be vigilant as a way to deter would-be criminals.

HOMELESS PEOPLE ON SIDEWALKS

Vice Chair Robert Saltzman asked for clarification regarding the legality of pitching tents on public streets and sidewalks within the city. Sergeant Lapkin clarified that local ordinances prohibit such actions on public streets and sidewalks. However, if a tent is pitched on private property, such as the parking lot of a business, then it becomes a matter for the property owner to address. The city also takes an outreach approach to homelessness and works in conjunction with social services to offer assistance and connect individuals to necessary services. In cases where tents appear on private property visible to the public eye, local law enforcement can intervene but primarily relies on property owners to file complaints. Code enforcement staff work in collaboration with the Sheriff’s Department to address these issues when they are reported.

The discussion then veered into the lack of enforcement of specific municipal codes in West Hollywood. The municipal code in question, Section 9.04.49.04.03-0, specifically prohibits sitting, lying, or sleeping on public ways, including highways, sidewalks, green belts, and median islands, except under special circumstances like parades or if a disability is involved. Questions were raised about why this ordinance, along with another prohibiting bicycle riding on sidewalks, was not being rigorously enforced, especially when there are multiple instances of unhoused individuals visibly breaking these rules.

BIKES ON SIDEWALKS

The sheriffs said their approach is one of progressive enforcement. When they receive a call about someone blocking a public way, they first ask the individual to move. Only if the individual refuses to comply do they take further action to enforce the ordinance. This approach is consistent with how they handle other similar situations, including trespassing under Section 602 of the California Penal Code. They stressed that they are somewhat limited in what they can do immediately because they first have to ask the individual to leave the area.

Regarding the issue of people riding bicycles on sidewalks, the sheriffs acknowledged this as a problem but indicated that it is not a high-priority issue given other more pressing concerns in the community. While this is technically a violation of the vehicle code, it’s not something they are proactively enforcing on a daily basis. However, they did mention that if this activity becomes problematic on specific streets, they could consider targeted enforcement operations.

During the public comment section of the meeting, Kevin Burton, co-founder of the West Hollywood Bicycle Coalition, addressed the commissioners. He first clarified West Hollywood’s municipal ordinance regarding bicycling on sidewalks. He stated that bicycling on sidewalks is allowed throughout the city, except where there are adjacent bike lanes. These bike lanes are present on parts of two streets and all of Fairfax Avenue.

Burton also thanked the commission for reporting collisions involving bicyclists, pedestrians, and vehicles. He emphasized that the consequences of a vehicle colliding with a bicyclist or pedestrian are generally much more severe than vehicle-to-vehicle collisions. He noted that there had been a bicyclist hit every week in the previous month, and each of these incidents is its own tragedy. Burton expressed his organization’s commitment to working with the city to reduce the frequency of such incidents.

He brought up an issue with incomplete reporting of collisions in previous meetings, suggesting that information might be falling through the cracks. Burton urged for this to be addressed for more complete and accurate reporting. He also acknowledged that the reporting of details about scooter collisions has improved, although not yet to the same level as reports about bicycles and pedestrians.

Lastly, Burton requested specific data from the sheriff’s department on the number of citations issued against bicyclists riding illegally on sidewalks in the specific areas he mentioned, as well as scooters riding illegally on sidewalks, which is prohibited everywhere according to state law. He asked for this data for the last couple of years and mentioned that the local sheriff’s station has been responsive to such requests in the past. He expressed hope that this responsiveness would continue.

SHERIFFS ON BIKES

The conversation also veered into the area of bicycle patrols by law enforcement deputies. While some members of the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) team are certified for bike patrols, not all members are trained. The department is currently on a waiting list to receive additional training from a certified instructor. When queried about the possibility of deploying bicycle patrols for the upcoming Halloween festivities, the officials indicated that this is unlikely due to the sheer volume of people expected to attend. They reasoned that navigating bicycles through such dense crowds would be unsafe for both the public and the deputies involved.

The officials emphasized that for large crowd events like Halloween, most of their additional patrols would be conducted on foot for safety reasons. They noted that they are working to get more deputies trained for bike patrols, but they are currently in a holding pattern, waiting for an instructor to become available to conduct the necessary training. Despite being on a waiting list for this training, no concrete timeline was provided for when this training might occur, leaving it an open question for future discussions.