Still no plan for crime spike

BOB HANSOHN GUEST COLUMN
Yorba Linda Star, October 12, 2006 Viewpoints

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These trends began as early as January, but Brea Police and our city officials did not recognize the problem until it was brought to their attention by an article in the Star in June.

After reading the article, one council member said he should not be expected to be familiar with specific Yorba Linda crime trends. Another said that the only reason this issue was being raised was because it was election time. Wrong on both counts. Rather than reflecting understanding, leadership and concern, some council members see the raising of this issue as a personal attack against them.

In the spirit of fairness, I have discussed this issue with the Brea Police chief, our liaison officer and various council members. I agree that it is not a time for hysteria, but rather for a sense of urgency.

To their credit, the mayor and city manager have taken recent steps to better oversee the performance and effectiveness of the Brea Police Department. These steps include better and more open reporting, gathering of statistics for all crime occurring within Yorba Linda, a review of officer response times to calls, and twice yearly public safety updates at council. It is a start, but it isn't a plan to reduce crime.

What then is the police department's plan for addressing the growing crime trend? Since it hasn't been made public, we are not sure.

A viable plan should include a thorough analysis of the problem, short- and longterm strategies, and a component to actively engage the community in this effort. After all, it is really the public's responsibility to ensure that this problem is addressed.

Short-term strategies include things that the police can implement within the next three to six months to immediately bring down crime. Rather than just discussing the problem at roll calls, what operational activities could they conduct to specifically address the thefts from our vehicles at shopping centers and parks?

Long-term efforts should include more community awareness and ways to mobilize residents to better address these concerns. Community apathy is a problem in Yorba Linda. Block clubs, volunteer patrols, and community surveillance teams all come to mind.

Additionally, the entire resources of the city should be brought to bear on the problem. City employees working in the field should also be the eyes and ears for police.

Although the secret plan to address growing crime is yet to be revealed, I am encouraged that the mayor and city manager have placed a higher level of importance on public safety. Although no one is admitting they were caught flatfooted by this year's Part I crime trend, there does seem to be more activity behind the scenes to address the problem. Still, we cannot allow this problem to continue into 2007. The degradation of a community is insidious. What we need now is leadership and more accountability at all levels to help turn this trend around. Many of us stand willing to help the city and police department in this effort. They could improve upon this cooperative effort by sharing with us the plan to better protect our community.

Bob Hansohn, a 30-year resident of Yorba Linda, has 36 years of law enforcement experience and is a retired command officer from the LAPD.

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