MORE IN STORE FOR DEPUTIES? OFFICIALS LOOK INTO CREATING EAST-SIDE LANCASTER OFFICE.

Byline: JIM SKEEN  Staff Writer

LANCASTER -- Lancaster officials are exploring the idea of creating a storefront sheriff's office on the city's east side in hopes of reducing crime through a greater law enforcement presence.

City officials are looking at creating the storefront operation at a shopping center at Avenue J and 20th Street that is anchored by a Stater Brothers grocery store. The center's property managers, Front Gate Plaza LLC, have offered up space rent-free for such a storefront.

How that storefront would be staffed and operated would have to be determined.

``We're asking staff to have a look at this,'' said Councilman Andy Visokey. ``Let's see what's being offered and see if it'll be helpful.''

The council voted unanimously to look at the concept after east-side residents filled up the council chambers asking for a greater law enforcement presence. Many related tales of burglaries, vandalism and fights in their neighborhoods.

``I'm for any kind of presence,'' Anthony King said. ``We're here as a community pleading -- asking you to do something.''

Capt. Carl Deeley, commander of the Lancaster sheriff's station, said the offer for space for a storefront operation first came up in 2004. The department turned it down because the proposed site is less than three miles from the Lancaster station and that similar offers from other areas, the Valley Central Shopping Center, have been turned down in the past.

Deeley and city officials highlighted a number of steps taken to address crime throughout the city, including the establishment of an eight-deputy team to examine issues stemming from federal government-subsidized housing and the expansion of the community service officers program in a bid to free up additional patrol time for deputies.

One of the big issues that the Sheriff's Department is trying to address as quickly as possible is the shortage of 1,000 deputies throughout the county, which includes about two dozen vacancies in Lancaster.

``The department needs to make sure they step forward and fill all the vacancies,'' Deeley said. ``That will go a long way toward solving these problems.''

Councilman Ed Sileo said he doubted that a storefront would have much impact on crime and that it could take away resources that could be better used elsewhere.

``Will a storefront keep your house from being burglarized? I don't think so,'' Sileo said. ``If we're going to have a uniformed deputy, I'd rather have him on the street. Every time we take a deputy out of a car, it hurts us.''

Councilman Jim Jeffra said the best approach to immediately fight crime is to combine the law enforcement contracts between the cities of Lancaster and Palmdale into one, stating it would be more efficient and allow for more resources to be used out in the streets. The concept would include having both cities' detective bureaus housed at the Antelope Valley Courthouse.

``Crime is a regional issue, not a one-street issue or a two-street issue,'' Jeffra said.

Palmdale officials said they have no interest in that concept, stating they doubted it would generate any efficiencies and would weaken the accountability the Sheriff's Department has to their city.

james.skeen(at)dailynews

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