Community Safety Update
Dear West L.A. Sawtelle Stakeholders:
Thank you to LAPD and all of you who attended the Town Hall last Wednesday.
A few points:
- The July 4th incident is still outstanding. The criminal has not in custody. Please stay vigilant.
- The July 2nd incident: Suspect IS IN custody. This is a separate crime by a different individual than the July 4th incident.
- The news reports that have been in TV/online today are referring to the July 2 perpetrator and some are miscommunicating that this individual is responsible for July 4th incident (which is not the case); West LA PD has not released an official statement about July 2 perpetrator because they must coordinate communications with Santa Monica PD and Bev Hills PD to ensure the right information is being presented to the public; even though news outlets are now reporting on the matter, Captain Ito said an official statement will be forthcoming shortly about the July 2 perpetrator.
- Many in our community are using various social media to communicate. I can not stress on you enough that if you are writing about something you heard and did not get it from a credible source, it may cause confusion and potentially have people drop their guard. Captain Darryl Ito said at the meeting last night that the only credible source of correct information about these crimes and the perpetrators is directly from LAPD, Officer Kirk and Jay Handal. Captain Ito asked that the community question sources of information posted by neighbors, media outlets, or others where it is NOT clearly stated that it came directly from LA PD.
- Jay Handal and the Neighborhood Council is compiling an email database of community members who want to be kept informed on safety issues and these particular incidents; if you were unable to attend the meeting, please contact Jay Handal directly to provide him with your contact information to be added to this email database. The West LA Neighborhood Council email is: info@WLANC.com
And finally, I urge everyone to start a Neighborhood Watch on your block. It is easy and it opens a a line of communications with all of your neighbors as well as with LAPD. If you are interested in being a block captain, please send us an e mail at info@wlanc.com. We will be putting together a list of people and blocks then holding a meeting to begin the process.
Feel free to write to me directly at sgrest@aol.com with any suggestions or concerns.
