It appears that being confronted with aggressive unhoused "neighbors" is happening more often at an alarming rate all over the city. In the Melrose Village area we are certainly seeing these unfortunate events almost daily now. From having garbage thrown at us or insult screaming and threatening to actual assualts on people, property and cars, it's all happening here too. On Saturday, 9/24/22 there was another such event that happened at the encampment at Willoughby and La Brea that required police assitance to restore the peace. On 9/19/22 a residents car was violently kicked while sitting at the light at Clinton and Fairfax causing over $1,300 in damage by a screaming man who obviously was experiencing some type of psychotic episode.
Another problem that seems to be plaguing our area again is Peeping Toms! Men walking onto your property, apartments usually, finding a window to place their cell phone up to so they can record you in the privacy of your home. Make no mistake, this is a crime as well. Recently a small group of neighbors near Oakwood and Fairfax had to deal with this, banded together with pictures and videos, caught the culprit in the act and succesfully had LAPD come to put an end to this. Be mindful of the idea that we all have the ability to make a "citizens arrest" where you are now the witness to the crime and the person on file as making the arrest. This means that if this is serious enough to you, be prepared to spend some time in court. It just may be something that we all need to get used to doing.
We asked Sergeant Sarno, Senior Lead Coordinator from our Wilshire Area LAPD station for some advice and tips we can use. He graciously shared the following information with us.
• When witnessing an aggressive homeless person, avoid any physical or verbal confrontation.
• Practice being a good witness and get a good description and location of the subject if you choose to call dispatch.
• 911 is reserved for emergencies only but you can also call the non- emergency number 877-275-5273.
• State you have someone suffering from mental illness.
• There is a difference between a trespass, burglary suspect and a peeping Tom. The latter is a crime that possibly involves sexual gratification and should be treated as a priority.
• Lurking near residence windows and checking doors could also be actions of a burglary suspect.
• Again practice being a good witness getting an accurate description and location of the suspect.
• Stay on the line with dispatch to provide the most updated info for responding officers.
• Should the suspect be arrested, you may be subpoenaed to court to provide info and testimony on your observations leading up to the arrest.
• Understand Officers have training and experience that may lead to a different outcome than you expect. ie question and release, physical altercation, search area with negative results and crime report.
• If you would like to be contacted, let dispatch know when Officers can provide you with a debrief and explanation.
