LAPD Ponders Special Action to Control Auto-Related Crimes on Colorado

The fact that speeding cars are a safety threat on Colorado Boulevard has been fairly well established by now. What isn’t as well known is that parked cars on the thoroughfare are also vulnerable—to burglaries and theft.

Of the 30 crimes reported in Eagle Rock during March—an average of nearly one per day—seven occurred on Colorado Boulevard, the neighborhood’s main street that, as everyone knows, is the focus of plans to install bicycle lanes and make the thoroughfare safer and more pleasant.

On Tuesday night at the monthly board meeting of the Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council, Los Angeles Police Department Officer Frank Serrano confirmed that vehicles parked on Colorado Boulevard are being increasingly targeted by auto thieves and burglars.

Serrano was invited at the meeting to speak in connection with the so-called Public Safety Report usually delivered by ERNC Public Safety Director and Eagle Rock Elementary School Principal José Posada.

Serrano’s explanation for the recent spike in car-related crimes along Colorado will be familiar to anyone who follows such issues in the Northeast: LAPD officers are engaged in something of a perpetual cat-and-mouse game with Grand Theft Auto suspects—when the heat builds up in a particular area, the criminals move somewhere else.

The other element of Serrano’s explanation centered around the seemingly endless failure of many drivers to heed the LAPD’s never-ending advice to “Lock it, Hide it, Keep it.” That is, leaving valuables in a vehicle within plain view of potential criminals is asking for trouble.

In an attempt to control rising auto-related crimes on Colorado, the LAPD is considering a tactic that it often employs: Deploying plainclothes officers on the boulevard, along with decoy cars.

But to do that, the LAPD Northeast Division needs to get special clearance from higher-ups in the department. Reason: Engaging auto thieves can be dangerous, especially if they happen to be armed, and officers cannot be put in harm’s way without proper permission, Serrano explained.

LAPD Capt. Jeff Bert, who was recently assigned to head the Northeast Division, replacing Cmdr. Bill Murphy, is considering seeking special clearance for deploying plainclothes officers on Colorado Boulevard, Serrano added.

Until plainclothes officers patrol the bustling roadway, luring criminals with decoy cars, there’s a lot that members of the public can do to help.

“If you see a [shady] individual walking next to a vehicle, give us a call,” Serrano said.

Besides 911, community members may call the LAPD Northeast Station directly at (323) 344-5701.