L.A. Police Leaders to Answer Community Questions

Nobody is required to keep a closer watch on neighborhood crime issues than the senior lead officers of the Los Angeles Police Department. On Thursday, July 28, at 6 p.m. at Dodger Stadium, those officers will address the community at a summit of Northeast Division's Senior Lead Officers.

Highland Park's Senior Lead Officer is Nina Preciado and Eagle Rock's is Officer Craig Orange.

According to a flier distributed for the event, the goals of the summit are to discuss crime issues and set community goals for 2011 and provide neighborhood crime updates. 

The summit will also provide residents in Northeast Division neighborhoods—which include, among others, Highland Park, Mount Washington, Echo Park and Eagle Rock—an opportunity to meet the division's newly hired gang unit officers. 

As , Northeast Division's gang unit was without uniformed gang unit officers from the beginning of the year until late June, owing to the refusal of those officers to sign federally mandated financial disclosure forms.

LAPD Northeast Division Chief Capt. William Murphy said a total of 14 new officers, as well as a new Lieutenant and two new sergeants, have been hired to fill out the unit.

Even with the depleted unit, Northeast Division has continued to lead the over the first six months of the year, with reports of violent crime down 30.1 percent.

However, Highland Park has not been without violent incidents in 2011, including the on Newland Street that took place in early June.

Additionally, the recent debate over chef James Graham's that would allow him to serve beer and wine until 2 a.m. at the French restaurant he hopes to open at Ave. 51 and York Boulevard has raised further concerns about drunkenness and rowdy behavior around the neighborhood's bars.