Our Commitment to Public Safety
Recently, my office and 9th District constituents have learned that many of the surveillance cameras installed and donated by local business groups in downtown need to be maintained and fixed by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). Unfortunately, this fact was highlighted by an extremely disturbing incident; a 53 year old man was heinously attacked on skid row well within the perimeters of some of these surveillance cameras. Should they have been properly functioning, we may have already captured these criminals.
When donated, these cameras were intended to help our officers and support public safety for everyone who lives, works, and visits downtown; it is inconceivable that they have gone unused. For this reason, I have introduced a motion instructing the LAPD to report on the status of the malfunctioning or non-operative cameras, and provide recommendations to quickly remedy the situation. The motion will help ensure accountability and ensure that we are using and maximizing every available resource at our disposal to provide for the safety of everyone in downtown.
Motion: http://clkrep.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2012/12-0016_MOT_01-03-12.pdf