Captain Stephen M. Carmona’s Captain’s Corner:
On behalf of the men and women assigned to our North Hollywood Community Station, I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year. While the City of Los Angeles did experience increases in crime during 2015, we remain steadfast and committed to reduce crime and the fear of crime in the weeks and months ahead. I am committed to working closely with the residents, merchants and visitors to make the North Hollywood community a better place to live. We have an ambitious plan for 2016 and I am very much looking forward to working with all of our community partners as we identify community issues and work together to solve common problems.
As many of you may know, last year Chief Charlie Beck set an ambitious goal of making the City of LA, the safest big city in America by the year 2020. The theme is “Community Focused, Data Driven”. There are several strategic goals that will guide us forward. A few of them as follows:
1. Reduce crime and victimization.
2. Build community Trust and Collaboration.
3. Improve Traffic Safety.
4. Emphasize Preparedness and Counter-Terrorism.
5. Strengthen the Public Safety Workforce.
6. Leverage Technology to improve performance.
Our goals can only be accomplished when law enforcement and community members are in sync, partnered together and constantly communicating with one another. We will continue to rely on and count on you as extra eyes and ears by reporting crime and suspicious activity.
A reminder that El Niño is upon us and with it brings heavy rains and severe weather. As you know, Southern California and Los Angeles have had several years of drought and some very significant wildfires. The region will not be able to absorb large amounts of rain, so there is a high potential for flooding and mudslides in some areas. Please stay educated and prepared, the City of Los Angeles has launched a new website, www.ElNinoLA.com. The site has important information and tools on how to prepare your home for the weather, how to create an emergency kit, how to create an evacuation plan and much more. You can also stay ahead of severe weather conditions by signing up for NotifyLA, a regional alert system that sends emergency alerts through SMS text, voice message and email.
In closing let me say that North Hollywood is an exceptional station. In my 33 plus years with the Department, this assignment has been the most rewarding for me. What make North Hollywood so exceptional are the people. The station is filled to the brim with dedicated, smart, compassionate and motivated officers, detectives and civilian staff. We have a community support component that is second to none. I am extremely grateful to our Community Police Advisory Board and my Co-chair Ron Dresher. Our CPAB will be very instrumental in our plans for this year. I would also like to announce for 2016, our incoming East Valley Police Activity League President Scott Frager. I am very much looking forward to working with Scott on our many functions and activities planned for 2016.
Finally, on behalf of all of the men and women of North Hollywood station, and our youth program participants, I want to give a heartfelt THANK YOU to Jean Sinatra, our outgoing PALS president. Jean is an exceptional leader, a dedicated and strong partner, and really just an amazing person. Jean elevated our PALS to a level of excellence that was unmatched. We will all miss her enthusiasm, her generosity and her leadership.
