Residents want to report crime anonymously
LOS ANGELES “”mdash; Residents want police to help them
anonymously report crime.
Hundreds of southwest Los Angeles residents gathered Sunday to
implore police to improve the officer dispatch system so that
callers’ identities can be protected against possible
retaliation from neighborhood druggies.
Assistant Chief Jim McDonnell said dispatchers aren’t
currently required to ask callers if they would like to remain
anonymous when reporting drug activity. McDonnell said dispatchers
must make a “˜”˜subjective” decision when
advising patrol officers to visit a caller’s residence.
Police visit their homes after they place telephone calls about
drug activity and the criminals can tell who called, the residents
said.
“˜”˜There’s a concern, and it’s
understandable,” McDonnell said after the forum at St.
Agatha’s Church. “˜”˜We’re going to continue
to work on it.”
The meeting was organized by the local branch of People
Improving Communities through Organizing, or PICO.
Megan’s Law not as effective as
expected
SAN FRANCISCO “”mdash; Many Americans may believe Megan’s
Law means a police officer will knock on their front doors if a sex
offender moves into the neighborhood.
But a nationwide survey by New Jersey-based Parents for
Megan’s Law suggests most states aren’t providing much
access to information contained in their sex offender
registries.
“˜”˜Megan’s Law was supposed to guarantee that
if a sex offender moved in next door, you would be notified by law
enforcement,” the group’s Executive Director
Laura Ahearn said Monday. “˜”˜But that’s just not
the case.”
The group spent more than three months gathering information
from 48 states; Louisiana and Utah didn’t respond to their
144-question surveys.
When graded on how much information they make available to the
public, the average state received 58 percent or a failing grade,
Ahearn said.
Briefs compiled from Bruin wire reports.