LIBRARY SAFETY A GROWING CONCERN INCIDENTS WORRY COUNTY OFFICIALS.

Byline: SUE DOYLE Staff Writer

Homeless men bathing in the bathroom. Librarians threatened. Flashers at story time.

There's more going on at Los Angeles County's 84 public libraries these days than reading.

And now security at these facilities has caught the attention of county officials, who want to improve safety for the 2.5 million library-card holders who browse their books, magazines and CDs.

Library officials understand the incidents sound alarming -- the naked man shouting in the restroom; windows shot out; the stranger trying to kiss the librarian.

``The safety of anybody using the library is a priority for the (library) administration,'' said Mike Steinfeld, Los Angeles County Public Library spokesman. ``But the public libraries are public buildings, and so members of the public do enter.''

In fact, what's happening inside local libraries is no different from what's going on in public libraries nationwide, he noted.

At the request of the county Board of Supervisors, county Librarian Margaret Donnellan Todd on Tuesday presented security improvements during the board's weekly meeting. Goals include more staff training -- even though library staffers already receive special training throughout the year -- and parent education about library safety.

Among the 12.4 million people who use county libraries, including elementary school groups, families and high school kids, libraries have also become havens for the homeless seeking a safe place to rest and a break from the streets.

In one 2003 incident, a visitor walked into the men's bathroom at the Lancaster Regional Library and found an undressed man trying to bathe and wash his hair. In 2005, a homeless woman assaulted patrons in the library, according to incident reports.

Knowing homeless people sometimes take shelter there, Steinfeld said, the libraries keep information about local homeless facilities and where to get clean clothes, meals and showers.

But the homeless aren't the only ones who use libraries for more than books.

At times when library operating hours come to a close, there are children still sitting inside -- alone. Sometimes it takes a call to a parent to pick up their kids. Other times, library staff have had to bring them to police stations, Steinfeld said.

Although libraries have beefed up security -- installing emergency buzzers inside bathrooms, improving lighting and lowering bookshelves to see over them -- some problems are more difficult to prevent, such as the flasher intent on exposing himself in August 2005 in the children's area of Valencia Library.

Eight days later, another sex crime was reported at the Santa Clarita facility after a man was caught touching himself in the children's section, according to library reports.

But child molesters go where kids are -- malls, playgrounds, athletic events, wherever they can find targets, said L.A. County sheriff's Lt. Thomas Sirkel of the special victims bureau.

Sirkel said libraries are included in that group but aren't the number-one spot for child molesters.

``They go where they can watch a number of kids at any place,'' he said, noting that includes the kid's section at the library. ``But we don't have too many cases involving libraries.''

sue.doyle(at)dailynews.com

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