Changes

We had personnel changes in our Command Staff at Mission Area a few months ago. Captain John Romero was reassigned from Mission Area to the Commanding Officer of our Real Time Analysis and Critical Response Division. I would like to personally thank Captain Romero for the dedication and leadership he has displayed while serving as the Patrol Commanding Officer at Mission Area. I would like to welcome Captain Maureen Ryan to our team at Mission as the new Mission Area Patrol Commanding Officer. Captain Ryan brings a wealth of experience, knowledge, enthusiasm and energy to Mission Area and I am very excited to partner with her to make our community safer.

On October 10, 2012, community members hosted Officer Appreciation Day here at Mission Division. This was your opportunity to say thank you to the hard working officers at Mission. I can honestly say we were all deeply touched and moved by the amazing show of support from all of you. Officers have personally shared with me how wonderful it was to hear and see people who care about them and their service to the community. Thank you for putting on such a wonderful event for all of us who work in Mission Division. One of the major topics of concern raised by community members are issues related to loud parties that disturb the quality of life for many residents that live in Mission Area. This summer, we spent considerable resources towards monitoring loud parties due to the fact that we experience several hundred radio call related to loud parties each summer. Loud parties many times are also the focal point for violence. In a continuous effort to tackle this problem, we have partnered with Councilmember Richard Alarcon, who has provided Mission Area with funds to assist our efforts. These funds will allow our command to deploy a team of officers to help combat this ongoing problem. We are committed to doing our best to serve the Community and will continue to do so.

Our crime reduction efforts continue to have positive results. As of October 20, 2012, Mission Area had achieved a reduction of 3% in total Part I crimes over the last two years. Total Violent crime, which includes homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault, is currently down 8% compared to last year’s Year-to-Date statistics. Property crime, which includes burglary, auto theft, burglary/theft from vehicle and other theft, remain steady with no increase or decrease compared to last year’s Year-to-Date statistics.

I want to hear your concerns and encourage your participation in our community policing efforts. Your questions regarding Mission Area can be directed to me at (818)838-9980 or to Mission Area Community Relations Office at (818) 838-9860. You may also e-mail me at: 

24642 @ LAPD.LACity.org

TODD C. CHAMBERLAIN, Captain
Commanding Officer

Free Spay/Neuter

Greetings!

FixNation is excited to announce that part of Best Friends NKLA (No Kill LA) Initiative we are fixing pet cats from Van Nuys, North Hollywood and Panorama City for FREE!

 

To be eligible for this program, the owners’ must live in one of the designated areas (91405 / 91605 / 91402 zip codes) and have an annual household income of less than $40,000.00.  If you qualify and would like to make an appointment, it’s simple!  Just visit this link and fill out the form HERE. If you have any difficulty filling out the online form, please let me know and I will help you through the process.

Don’t have any cats that need to be fixed? Help us spread the word!! 

We need area residents and individuals familiar with these communities to pass out/drop off information about the program to neighbors and businesses. If you’d like to volunteer to do this please let me know and I can arrange to mail you outreach materials or have a package ready for pick up at the clinic in Sun Valley if you prefer.  There is a strong need for bilingual Spanish/English speaking volunteers in these areas. Would you rather join a team?  We’ll also be scheduling group outreach efforts.  Please complete the Volunteer Application HERE and I will email you with details as events are scheduled. 

A little bit about the NKLA initiative – Last year, over 56,000 dogs and cats entered Los Angeles City shelters. More than 17,000 adoptable, healthy or treatable shelter pets were killed.  The solution is fewer animals into shelters via spay/neuter access and more out via adoption and fostering efforts. The reason why we are concentrating on these zip codes is because the highest percentage of the animals received at the valley area shelters come from these areas and neighborhoods. 

Together we can help make L.A. No Kill, one kitty at a time.

FixNation, Inc.
7680 Clybourn Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 91352
T 818.524.2287
F 818.767.7791

MIssion Station Party Car

Funds Allotted to Run Party Car in Northeast San Fernando Valley NR12488bb

Los Angeles:  The Los Angeles Police Department joined City Councilmember Richard Alarcon, 7th District, at a news conference this morning, to announce funding for a dedicated police party patrol car, which will resume operation next weekend and every weekend until the end of the year.

“I want to thank Councilman Alarcon personally and on behalf of the public in the northeast valley for fighting for these funds,” said Captain Todd Chamberlain, commanding officer of the LAPD Mission Community Police Station.  “This patrol car will bring a little more solace to the neighborhoods and no doubt reduce some major crimes.”

“The “Party Car” might sound like a bit of a misnomer,” said Captain Todd Chamberlain.  “It’s no party for the officers assigned as they patrol through neighborhoods where loud, raucous parties often hold neighborhoods hostage.”

The Party Car was instituted earlier this year as a way to free up regular patrol cars for other, more pressing cases.  “We’re not talking about kids’ birthday parties or baptisms,” Captain Chamberlain explained.  “These are adult parties with heavy drinking, loud music, and often sponsored and attended by gang members.”

Nearly 5,000 party disturbance calls after 10 p.m. were logged with 9-1-1 last year for the northeast valley.  This year through August when the Party Car was last run, officers had responded to nearly 2,100 parties.  Among those, one rape, two robberies and over a dozen aggravated assaults had occurred.

“That may not seem like many crimes, but what we can’t show you was how many more crimes were prevented due to the early intervention of the dedicated Party Car,” Captain Chamberlain stressed.  “We have no doubt that without the Party Car’s early intervention, many more crimes would occur.”

On October 14, 2012, three men were stabbed, one nearly to death, in two incidents at a party on Dronfield Avenue in Sylmar.  Early intervention from officers assigned to the Party Car can prevent these all-too-common assaults.

Anyone with information on crimes can report information anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477), or by texting 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most keypads) with a cell phone. All text messages should begin with the letters “LAPD.” Online tips may be placed at www.LAPDOnline.org, click on “webtips” and follow the prompts.

To Catch a Thief

Advisory: TO CATCH A THIEF ~ help dets ID man suspected in stealing shoes from Marshalls in SFV #LAPD

 

Panorama City. Detectives have released photos of a man suspected in shoplifting athletic shoes from the Marshalls store in Panorama City.

One theft occurred on the evening of October 13, 2012 when store security captured the nearly 6-foot tall Hispanic man placing shoes under his large, untucked shirt.

"These are misdemeanor crimes so we have to identify the man first, then get an arrest warrant before he can be arrested," explained Lt. Paul Vernon, commanding officer of the Mission Detective Division. "But misdemeanor or not, these are serious crimes because they lead to higher prices for customers and in some cases, high theft occurrences lead to stores closing or moving from neighborhoods."

Typically, simple thefts account for one-quarter of all Part I (major crimes) in the Mission Area, which includes Panorama City. A large percentage of the thefts occur at stores concentrated in Panorama City. Of the 3900 Part I crimes reported in the Mission Area, nearly 900 involved simple thefts, and many of those from shoplifting.

The wanted man is Hispanic, between 30 and 35 years old, and weighs about 210 pounds.

"I would suspect he lives in the neighborhood," Lt. Vernon added. "If he's ripping off one store, he's probably stealing from others too."

Anyone with information on this crime is urged to call Detective Randy Elzinga, Mission Burglary Unit, at (818) 838-9882. Anonymous tips can be called into Crimestoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477), or by texting 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most keypads) with a cell phone. All text messages should begin with the letters “LAPD.” Online tips may be placed at www.LAPDOnline.org, click on “webtips” and follow the prompts.

DON'T BE A VICTIM

Community: DON'T BE A VICTIM Ways to reduce property crime and keep your belongings #LAPD

 

Typically, property crime rises dramatically during the holiday shopping season, so now's the time to start practicing better habits to protect yourself from theft, car burglary, and residential burglary.

1) Remove all belongings from the passenger compartment of your car BEFORE you park. Placing things in the trunk while in the parking lot just tells the crook where to find them.

2) Don't text and walk in the street, on sidewalks, or in malls. Same goes for listening to music with earbuds in both ears. Being distracted makes you a vulnerable target.

3) Shop with a partner, especially if you are a woman. You are less susceptible to thefts, cons, and robberies.

4) Carry purses on shoulders and zipped. Men, place wallets in front pockets. Pickpocketing rises during holiday shopping.

5) Be cautious when retrieving money at ATMs. Have a partner looking behind you or away from ATM. Don't flash money when it's dispensed. Put it away!

6) Don't be lured or suckered into street gambling games like 3-card monty. They are one: illegal, and worse: you will be ripped off. You cannot win! And the intent in most games is to get victims flashing money in their hands so shills (usually gang members) can steal the money before you even play the game.

7) Lock your car and your house...always!!!

8) Keep gifts, wrapped or not, out of sight of the public or passersby.

9) All types of electronic devices are the most sought-after loot by crooks. LIKE IT; HIDE IT; KEEP IT!

Advisory: Putting Cops on the Dots --- Look Who’s Stealing Cars

Advisory: Putting Cops on the Dots --- Look Who’s Stealing Cars #LAPD

 

Putting Cops on the Dots --- Look Who’s Stealing Cars

Pin maps are an age-old way police keep track of crimes and identify patterns. Putting cops on those dots on the map often results in drops in crime.

Such has been the case in the Mission Area, which has seen a spike in stolen cars. “We’ve seen a drop of about 5 stolen cars per week over the last month, compared to August,” said Lt. Paul Vernon, commanding officer of the Mission Detective Division. “But the number of stolen cars is still high compared to the same time last year.”

For the same four weeks last year, the Mission Area had 50 cars stolen over 4 weeks, compared to this year’s 83.

Patrol officers have been focused on stolen cars (GTA), following a profile that’s developed lately:

* 33% of GTAs are taken between midnight and 6 AM.
* 88% of GTAs are taken from the street or parking lots
* Nearly 50% of GTAs are Hondas and Toyotas
* 83% of GTAs taken are for models over 10 years old
* Majority of cars are recovered within a couple days, not stripped

Over the last 3 days, LAPD patrol officers assigned to the Mission Area have arrested 7 men, all gang members, among three stolen cars.

“Two of those cars had not even been reported stolen yet,” Lt. Vernon explained. “But the officers knew the times, places, and types of cars being stolen, so they were looking and ready to pounce if they saw a car fitting the profile.”

Not surprising to police, one of the arrestees was on probation under the state’s AB 109 realignment program, released from prison just a couple months before from a GTA conviction; and another arrestee was just released on regular parole.

“We’re seeing a gradual uptick in crime, primarily property crimes, because these are the types of criminals being released from jails,” Lt. Vernon explained. “We’ll keep putting the cops on the dots and push the crooks back through the ever faster revolving door.”

In the mean time, police recommend that owners of cars with model years before 2001 purchase steering-wheel anti-theft devices that will visibly lock their steering wheel to the brake pedal.

Prepared by
Lt. Paul Vernon

Crime is on the Rise

ALERT:  There was a home burglary on Marson yesterday Sept 20, 2012.

We need to watch out, not only for ourselves but, for our neighbors. Please report any suspicious activity going on in and around our neighborhood.