SFPD chief holds vigilante meeting after recent crime wave

In response to a series of burglaries, a murder at an AutoZone store on August 1, and the arrest of a high-profile murder suspect in connection with the killing of 27-year-old local resident Karla Terron, San Fernando Police Department (SFPD) Chief Fabian Valdez held two community meetings.

The first event took place on August 21st at the Bodevi Wine and Espresso Bar, the second one week later on August 28th in the City Council Chambers.

Valdez said the local city council recently approved $50,000 in overtime for the SFPD to compensate for additional patrols that address citizen concerns. Four focus areas are patrols, high-visibility policing, and traffic and parking enforcement, he said.

While some longtime supporters of the San Francisco Police Department asked how they could help the police, some residents said the police department no longer enjoys the trust of the general public.

Eyes and ears

“Public safety is the responsibility of all of us,” Valdez said, reiterating that the community must be the “eyes and ears” of law enforcement.

“The police are professional, reliable and care about quality of life issues,” he continued. “If your request falls on deaf ears, it is ultimately my responsibility. You must let me know and I will take care of it.”

Not everyone in the room was happy with this statement. Valdez repeated it often.

Dulce (who did not give her last name) said she has reported crimes near her home on Orange Grove Avenue, but her requests for assistance have been ignored.

“We have lived in Orange Grove for over 10 years, no problem. Suddenly this situation arises and we are here [at this meeting] because we want to solve it,” Dulce said. “We are here because we have exhausted all other options.”

She said that her neighbor's house constantly has people coming and going, setting off her cameras “every five minutes.” Despite numerous emails and calls to multiple departments about suspicious activity, Dulce encountered resistance.

“There is criminal activity. I understand that you 'take care of it' and 'take care of it,' but the responses we get are like ping-pong – 'Call the city,' 'Call the building inspector,' 'Call the police' – back and forth, back and forth,” Dulce said.

In the meantime, the problem persists.

“This is the point where the [lack of] Trust problem comes [from]”, she added.

More visibility for the police

Residents and business owners continued to question San Francisco Police why there was still no increased police presence and visible patrols given the rising crime rate in the area.

“We need more patrols. We need more police on the streets. We need to make sure our alleys are cleaned,” said Adriana Gomez, San Fernando City Council's wellness and recreation commissioner. “We're trying to revitalize our downtown. We need help.”

The SFPD responded that they currently have at least four officers on duty at all times and that they plan to maintain a high-visibility police presence to address some of these concerns.

“The overtime will be used for traffic enforcement, combating drunk driving and combating serious crime,” said Police Sergeant Brian Woodward. “The plan is to work approximately 80 hours of overtime per month for the next five months to address important public safety concerns.”

Woodward said that with the start of the new school year, traffic enforcement in school zones will be a priority and announced a drink-driving check later this month.

Latest news on crime

Detective Sgt. Peter Aguirre said the San Francisco Police Department is using video footage and vehicle tracking with flock cameras to identify perpetrators of recent burglaries.

“These are not local criminals,” Aguirre said of the burglars who stole a safe from Flor De Lima Farms. “There are groups of organized criminals who commit these types of property crimes and have been doing so for two years.”

He said the SFPD is working with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) to assign one of its officers to a multi-agency task force to address ongoing burglaries.

Other break-ins and acts of vandalism in the area may have been committed by people who lived closer to home, including the break-in at Teriyaki Madness, where a note was left saying, “Sorry! Need money for drugs. Won't be back.”

Aguirre said they will use the same vehicle tracking, video surveillance and cell phone tracking methods to identify the perpetrator of the AutoZone murder, which is being investigated as a gang-related incident.

“We are still in the early stages of the investigation, but I think we already have good leads. We have a vehicle and initial information on the suspects in this case,” said Aguirre, adding that he again assumes the perpetrator is from “outside the area.”

The San Francisco Police Department has a history of responding quickly to crimes committed by people outside the city, but the suspect arrested this month for the murder of young mother Karla Terron lived on Knox Street in San Fernando.

To the question of San Fernando Valley Sun/el Sol If there is a gang problem in the city, Valdez said, it is common knowledge that gangs have been active in the area for a long time.

Valdez did not address gang connections to the AutoZone murder, in which the victim was brazenly shot in the head in broad daylight inside the store in front of employees. Instead, he said he did not believe the local gang had anything to do with the recent burglaries. Residents have pointed out that the store is just blocks from the police station.

Editor Diana Martinez contributed to this story.

SFPD chief holds vigilante meeting after recent crime wave

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