2 EVENTS TOUT COMMUNITY POLICING.

Byline: Terri Hardy Daily News Staff Writer

The march toward community policing in Los Angeles moved forward Saturday with the opening of a storefront station in Granada Hills and an anti-crime festival in Northridge.

"We've taken another big step," Mayor Richard Riordan told the audience of about 100 at opening ceremonies for the Granada Hills Community Service Station.

"It says you want your streets safer, you care about your community and you know the meaning of progress and partnership."

Nearby in Northridge, Mad Against Rising Crime, a local nonprofit organization, sponsored the festival to promote safety.

Visitors saw several demonstrations, from kick boxing to graffiti removal. Also on hand were representatives from several law enforcement organizations, including the LAPD's Metro Division SWAT team and the Los Angeles Fire Department's Disaster Preparedness Team.

The new Granada Hills storefront police station, in a shopping center at 1623 San Fernando Mission Road, will be open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on weekends when needed. Police hope the center will allow more community participation and greater convenience for residents.

Volunteers and officers will take property crime reports, offer advice on crime problems and do home security checks, said Rick Gibby, senior lead officer in the Devonshire Division.

"When volunteers can take care of the nonemergency matters, it frees police to go out on the streets," said Cynthia Truelove, a volunteer at the center.

Filing through the facility, resident Betty Walkey said she welcomes the addition to Granada Hills.

"I hope it will be a place where people can come to get answers, instead of hearing, 'That's not my department,' " Walkey said.

Police hope the center's presence will serve as a deterrent for violent crime problems reported in the shopping center.

"There's been some gang problems," Capt. Vance Proctor said. "We hope to reduce crime and the fear of violent crime."

While there are more than 125 community service centers, drop-in centers and police substations in Los Angeles - with 40 in the Valley alone - the Granada Hills facility offers something unique, said Police Chief Willie Williams, who attended the opening.

"When you're just a police station, you don't get the community, the business leaders, seniors and teens inside," Williams said.

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PHOTO

(1) Cal State Northridge student Tiffany Lockhart checks Christopher Umoye's blood pressure Saturday at a Northridge event. (2) Cheryl Anderson and her daughter Sara, 5, inspect police weapons on display at the Northridge festival. Tom Mendoza/Daily News