CHIEF URGES EARLY START ON CURFEW : PILOT PLAN TARGETS 2 VALLEY DIVISIONS.Byline: Patrick McGreevy Daily News Staff Writer Police Chief Willie L. Williams Willie L. Williams (born 1 October, 1943) was chief of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) from 1992 to 1997, taking over after chief Daryl Gates' resignation following the 1992 Los Angeles riots. has asked the Los Angeles City Council  The Los Angeles City Council is the governing body of the City of Los Angeles, California, United States. to allow the LAPD 1. LAPD - Link Access Procedure on the D channel.2. LAPD - Los Angeles Police Department. to implement ``as soon as possible'' a juvenile curfew curfew [O.Fr.,=cover fire], originally a signal, such as the ringing of a bell, to damp the fire, extinguish all lights in the dwelling, and retire for the night. The custom originated as a precaution against fires and was common throughout Europe in the Middle Ages. crackdown crack·down n. An act or example of forceful regulation, repression, or restraint: a crackdown on crime. Noun 1. in five divisions, including two in the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. . In response to council concerns about unequal enforcement, Williams said planning should begin now to extend the program to other divisions citywide. ``As the five original pilot areas are presently ready to proceed, it is recommended that they be allowed to implement their curfew enforcement plans as soon as possible,'' Williams wrote in a report to the council. He stated that the crackdown would be expanded to the other 13 police divisions ``after preliminary planning and community review have taken place.'' The chief's recommendation will be considered by the council's Ad Hoc Committee ad hoc committee A committee formed with the purpose of addressing a specific issue or issues, which theoretically is disbanded once its raison d'etre is finished on Gangs and Juvenile Justice at a 9:30 a.m. meeting Thursday at the Lanark Park Recreation Center in Canoga Park. The city has a curfew law on the books but it is not enforced consistently. The Police Commission proposed a six-month pilot program that would target minors violating the 10 p.m. curfew in five Los Angeles Police Department "LAPD" and "L.A.P.D." redirect here. For other uses, see LAPD (disambiguation).  This article or section is written like an . divisions, including Foothill and Devonshire in the Valley. The City Council - voicing concern about the appearance of selective enforcement - voted last month to delay action pending a recommendation from Williams. The chief's new report did not persuade several council members who said Monday that they believe implementation should be delayed until the program can proceed citywide. ``I don't see any reason you can't do it in the other divisions as well. They've already done the research,'' said Councilman Nate Holden Nathaniel "Nate" R. Holden (1929-) served on the Los Angeles City Council from 1987 to 2002. He previously served a term on the California State Senate and was Assistant Chief Deputy to then Los Angeles County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn. . ``To only do it in five divisions, I think it's singling out certain people for enforcement.'' Noting that Williams' civilian bosses are the police commissioners who developed the idea, Holden said: ``It sounds like he caved in to them.'' Councilwoman Laura Chick, a member of the committee that will consider the proposal, said she also prefers a citywide enforcement effort. Chick said she is anxious to hear the chief's ideas on how the program might be quickly expanded to include all police divisions. ``We are eager to see us have a citywide enforcement of the curfew program,'' Chick said. Councilman Mike Feuer, who also sits on the committee, said he he might be persuaded to phase in the curfew program as proposed by the chief. Police commissioners say the five divisions selected for the first phase of the program - Foothill, Devonshire, Hollenbeck, Hollywood and Southeast - were selected so there would be geographic balance in curfew enforcement. In his report, Williams said the five were selected with extensive input from community-police advisory boards (CPABs) and support groups. He said similar preparations should be done before the program is expanded beyond the first five divisions. Williams said his department worked with the commission to develop a program aimed at avoiding the perception of unequal enforcement. ``Department policy and procedures pertaining per·tain intr.v. per·tained, per·tain·ing, per·tains 1. To have reference; relate: evidence that pertains to the accident. 2. to this curfew program were developed with utmost sensitivity to concerns expressed in some communities that curfew enforcement can be highly arbitrary and potentially subject to abuse,'' Williams wrote. ``It is for this reason that key components of the program consist of CPAB CPAB Canadian Public Accountability Board CPAB Community Police Advisory Board (LAPD) CPAB Computer Programmer Aptitude Battery CPAB California Pear Advisory Board CPAB Corrosion Prevention Advisory Board review, a public relations public relations, activities and policies used to create public interest in a person, idea, product, institution, or business establishment. By its nature, public relations is devoted to serving particular interests by presenting them to the public in the most initiative, and targeting locations based upon identified need.'' Williams was not available for an interview, a spokesman said. In his report, the chief says the program includes a public relations plan to let young people know that they face a stepped-up crackdown twice a month. ``Presentations at local schools and churches would be a critical component of these public relations programs,'' Williams states. The chief also says parents of minors picked up will be called to the station to take custody of their children and be required to return for a meeting with juvenile detectives. ``At this meeting, detective personnel can provide counseling or referrals to community-based service or other counseling programs, including parenting classes,'' Williams states. The chief says the LAPD will monitor the crime statistics in the target areas and the number of curfew arrests to gauge the effectiveness of the program. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: (Color) Willie L. Williams Responds to council |
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