City council defends public safety & sheriff's department during public forum
Sylvester Ani questions the efficiency of the Norwalk Sheriff’s department during Tuesday’s community forum. (Photo by Vincent Medina)
NORWALK – Norwalk City Council held a community forum at the social services center on Tuesday, updating residents on changes to the public safety and sheriff’s department.
Interim public safety director Dennis Kato revealed that four additional sheriff deputies will join the Norwalk station by the end of August. He said an ordinance from Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva stopped those positions from being filled in January.
“Back in October, the City Council approved the budget to add four net deputies and an additional net sergeant to our special assignment officers from the city company, sheriff's station,” Kato said. “We will be sending two new deputies through the motor school and upon their successful completion we'll begin seeing them in Norwalk towards the end of August.
“We are also deploying the traffic resource deputy over to DUI enforcement because we have seen an increase in the number of drunk driving accidents in the city.”
As the Fourth of July approaches, the city council has tried to encourage residents to stop lighting illegal fireworks by reminding them of how the sound can trigger post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in armed forces veterans.
They have also raised the penalty fine for lighting an illegal firework.
“If you have received a citation anywhere in the last two years, if you receive a citation this year, you're either gonna go right to the second offense or even a third,” Kato said. “So instead of starting up a $1,500 offense, you're gonna go to the $2000 - $3000 fine. Warning letters have been issued to all those residents.”
Kato also said that each public safety vehicle is outfitted with dash cameras, to catch violators during the evening.
During public comment, community activist Sylvester Ani questioned the efficiency of the sheriff's department and discussed a homicide that occurred Monday evening.
“There was a murder on Maidstone Avenue last night. A man in his 30s. What are we doing to make people feel safer?” Ani said. “When you go to the Sheriff Department website [it] says that Norwalk station solves 0% of the murders that happen. The most reported crimes are larsony and theft with over 2,038 reported larceny theft crimes and this station stole 10% of those crimes.”
Mayor Rick Ramirez noted that many of the issues are not immediately reported by residents, making it difficult for police to respond.
“A lot of people complain and comment on social media, but what is the percentage of them that pick up the phone and make those phone calls? Probably very few,” Ramirez said.
Councilwoman Margarita Rios echoed the mayor’s point saying, “If you see something, say something.”