S-T+NEARBY NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH MEETING NOTES

MEETING NOTES, April 15, 2025

27 residents heard updates from Tujunga's Senior Lead Officer (SLO) Gloria Caloca and Wil Godoy, Sunland SLO. With them were Officers Rawlins and Gutiérrez, who work on juvenile abuse and juvenile crime.

One resident enthusiastically thanked our S-T officers and Foothill Div, Praising them over less-engaged divisions she has lived and worked in!

►► Local Juvenile issues include tagging, drugs, fights and the very occasional stabbing or shooting. Officer Gutiérrez works mostly with cases of juvenile abuse, missing children and "pre-delinquent" kids. 

          Besides officers' skills and training, they use all possible City resources:     Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), teachers, school psychologists and tutors. 90% of parents care and help; 10% are uninvolved or corrosive.

Juvenile taggers receive little punishment, and LAPD does not inform the schools. Repercussions include Juvenile Hall or a citation. Because Juvie is usually reserved for more serious crimes, a stay there exposes first-timers to even worse young criminals.

If a first offense, young perps are assigned a program that will remove their citation. If they don't finish, they can be picked up.

California recently bent juvenile laws toward "Restorative Justice" diversion programs rather than punishment. Teachers and principals are divided, some calling the "touchy-feely" solutions a pipeline to prison.

During protests, some teachers accompanied kids off-campus. Yet one charter school refused to let students leave. Due to COVID-19 and lack of attendance to fuel charter school income, more than 70 have closed.

SLO Caloca was on loan to the juvenile unit for 3-4 months. Too often, she saw the same kids repeatedly. One tough and broadly helpful program has disappeared. Tutoring, sports, art and clubs can help.

LAPD Cadet programs teach personal discipline, civic responsibility, and offer a boxing program. A resident mentioned an open basketball program and cleanups at New Hope Community Church.

►► Useful Remedies and...Uh, not really

Several in the audience highly praised our local anti-graffiti team, saying they often arrive with same-day service!

Download and use the "New and Improved" MyLA311 app to report encampments and dumping. But know that LA Sanitation is overwhelmed with calls. Also, City San will NOT pick up homeless belongings on private property, so don’t report that.

Halfway houses or methadone houses—there's one on Tujunga Canyon Blvd.—might house the unreformed who steal from merchants and harass customers. Tracking them is impossible because there is NO central database of these homes' inhabitants!

Homeless are now frequenting children’s gathering spots and businesses.

Both officers wish graffiti were not such a large, and unnecessary, part of their work. Von’s has good cameras and does notify schools. This process got one tagger excluded from prom and Grad Night. Even principals are uncertain what rules to follow.

When there's a retail burglary (LAMC 459), officers take a burglary report and secure the scene. The retailer' cams may have recorded the  perps' movements and where to dust for prints. Doors and windows are perfect. But, understandably, owners need to keep customers flowing in and out.

CRIME STATS and EVENTS!

Sunland

Part One (serious) Crimes 2024 compared to 2025:

2024 was 116, 2025 102. That's DOWN for two years straight! BUT all crimes tend to rise in summer, so don't get complacent. LAPD wants us to submit MANY MyLA311 reports of junk, as that gets attention and proves the problem is annoying residents.

SLO Godoy addressed Sunland's recent SWAT excitement: A suspect driving a stolen vehicle led LAPD on a chase that ended in the mall on Foothill and Newhome Av. He visited a few stores, ending up in the laundromat where he hid in the attic.

This became a standoff, requiring SWAT. SLOs Caloca and Godoy ran traffic control and kept looky-loos out of the line of fire.

"Whenever SWAT is present and firearms are visible," Caloca warned, "DO NOT go out videoing. SWAT is only called for weapons and public threats. So it's common sense to NOT be downrange where guns might point!"

SLO Caloca blocked Foothill with flashing lights, her reflective vest and flashlight, yet people still expected to be let by. As she directed traffic around and away from danger, she was amazed to learn how many people said they didn't know Sunland-Tujunga has side-streets they could use instead of Foothill Bl.

Another LAPD helicopter—"airship"—event occurred in Sunland when the airship followed a perp who tried to blend in with neighbors. He lost.

Godoy said there WAS a tent in Sunland Park that lasted 1-2 weeks and is now gone. He and Caloca know 80% of local homeless and offer them free public services, which they reliably refuse.

A "Care Plus" action is a cleanup accomplished by LAPD, City San and other agencies to scoop up all homeless junk in one specific location. The un-roofed parties must receive ample notice. U.S. Army Core of Engineers regularly helps clean up trash for City San.

Vice detectives served search warrants on casinos, then the owner reopened on Apperson in Tujunga . A month later she re-re-opened around the corner!

     These can be hard to spot. If you see unexpected late-night traffic where it shouldn't be, call 911 with a clear and accurate description.

      Today's pop-up casinos aren’t the Vegas stereotype with rows of glitzy, public machines. Modern illicit gamblers hunch over an iPad or tablet to use gambling apps.

In December, officers checking out a burglary report found a casino! A nighttime casino can look like a burglary in progress as inbound gamblers check doors and windows to see which concealed entrance is open!

     Illegal casinos aren't a victimless crime. Such crowds can lead to overdoses, noise complaints and fights.

Once notified, building owners who prove themselves nonresponsive can be held liable. As a very last resort, the City could begin "abatement," a legal process by which an owner must remedy specified dangerous conditions, or else City will take possession.

►► TUJUNGA

We are down by 14 total crimes from 2024, from 79 to 65!  One exceptional week we had just 4 crimes reported. In total!  Sun Valley had 16. 

- Burglary from motor vehicle = 0!  Foothill Div. = 17

- Grand Theft Auto (GTA) = 0!  Foothill Div = 11

- Burglaries = 2.  Foothill Div. is worse.

- Aggravated assault = 1 (roommates!)   Foothill = 5.

Patrick was picked up but released next day. Jennifer is now getting help. LA Dept of Mental Health must first develop relationships with the unhoused, so they will trust the help. A transient named Nancy creates no issues with businesses or residents. If someone is camped on a sidewalk, email our SLO for Homeless, Eric Herrera. Contact is below!

Helicopter Day in Tujunga!  A suspect near Commerce pointed a firearm at a detective. Game on, suckah!  Suspect fled into SevenHills. Patrol cars and airship arrived. Suspect was detained with no violence. A search warrant was executed on the premises.

One resident suspects the trampoline business on Commerce Av. becomes a casino late some nights.

Several people complained the La Crescenta Post Office has allowed a flurry of thefts from its outdoor mailboxes. One business owner lost $4,900! She said banks are aware, but thieves are very good at "whitewashing" checks to repurpose them!

     Just go inside a post office to drop off financial mail. Caloca suggests paying bills with cash, or using a PO Box in a different Zip Code.

     Some gas stations now have their own app so you can use it to pay at the pump. Note if someone can "run" your license plate, they get your physical address AND any PO box.

►► When, Where & How to REPORT What!

When crimes aren't immediately harmful, the quantity of complaints from different people determines which get prosecuted or even followed up.

     If you're on the fence, call 911. Your "articulation"—a clear and honest description—is crucial in getting a response AND being believed.

DO NOT CALL FOOTHILL STATION to make ANY report or request a car! The front desk CANNOT dispatch a car. Worse, they're usually busy with walk-ins. For non-emergency police matters, call 877-ASK-LAPD.

To report a crime after the fact, go to https://www.lapdonline.org/file-a-police-report/ . This also gets you a report number for insurance purposes.

Foothill Div.'s Community Police Advisory Board (CPAB) meetings are held second Thursdays at Japanese American Ctr in Pacoima. Many officers and brass attend. It has several committees to address different issues.

►► Con Artists!

Female criminals, described by Sheriffs as "Roma," ask directions from seniors who wear expensive jewelry. The crims offer hugs or cheap jewelry, then steal the pricey bling. This has occurred in Pacoima and Arleta.

    "Till-tapping" occurs when one thief distracts or argues with the shopkeeper while another steals money from the register.

     One resident suggested business owners band together to fight these crimes, break-ins and shoplifting. Caloca reported that, several years ago, she hand-delivered 80 invitations to S-T liquor stores to attend such a meeting. Two owners came!

One aspiring burglar dressed as a US mail carrier, but blew his cover by peeping into properties!