Private security beefs up area's safety, appeal: business groups foot bill to add patrols to neighborhoods.

TAKERS fans leaving the Staples Center have been doing double takes when they see security officers in electric carts zipping down the streets.

The four-seat vehicles, which resemble golf carts, are the latest addition to downtown L.A.'s security arsenal, courtesy of the South Park Stakeholders Group, a property owners association.

The association recently purchased three electric carts for $9,000 each, adding to efforts to improve safety and cleanliness in the area. Two of the vehicles will be used for patrolling the neighborhood, and the other is equipped with a power washer that will be used for hosing down sidewalks.

"We can get into the field with vehicles that can be used rain or shine, and they complement the bike patrols," said Mike Pfeiffer, executive director of the South Park Stakeholders Group. "They have nice visibility, and convey a safe and clean message."

It's an important message to send, because more people are coming into the area with the opening of the L.A. Live complex, and local businesses are wary of having their customers scared off by downtown' s stubborn blight problems.

Businesses are opening in the area to serve the growing population that is moving into thousands of new condos and apartments, and business owners are noticing the security efforts and their results.

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Trendy eateries, including the Blue Dahlia Cafe and Groundwork Coffee Co., are peppered among the studios and warehouses filling the arts district.

Blue Dahlia Cafe owner Sue Lee said she sees security officers around all the time.

Lee's cafe, which offers European-inspired paninis and small dishes, stays open until 1 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.

"It definitely helps with business. The residents as well as the business owners feel more secure," she said.

Zip Fusion owner Jason Ha set up his business in the arts district before the Central City East Association started deploying officers in the area. Ha said he has seen a decline in the number of homeless who loiter outside the popular sushi restaurant since the arrival of security officers.

"Compared to two or three years ago, when the officers weren't here, it's as different as night and day," Ha said.

Increased visibility

The South Park Business Improvement District was formed in 2005, and covers the area north of James M. Wood Boulevard and south of 17th Street, and east of Grand Avenue and west of Cherry Street. The group began using AEG's Security Services LLC in January.

Generally, six officers patrol the area, but Pfeiffer said the number fluctuates whether there are events at the Staples Center or Nokia Theatre.

Officers from Security Services patrol the area from 6 a.m. to 3 a.m., and Pfeiffer said the group has plans for officers to begin patrolling 24 hours.

Cliff Hoffman, president of the California Hospital Foundation, the philanthropic ann of the hospital near Staples Center, said the private security officers reassure staff and patients.

"Just having them here and patrolling 15th Street, where our two largest parking lots are, adds another level of security that is tough for us to provide," he said.

The hospital employs two officers who walk the exterior of the campus with German shepherds, but the officers only work from the late afternoon until midnight.

The added security the South Park group provides helps hospital staff protect parked cars, and prevent loitering by the homeless and unruly crowds who leave Staples after sporting events. Hoffman said he now sees fewer homeless people in the area and believes its cleaner than it's ever been during his 20-year tenure at the hospital.

Santa-Ana based Universal Protection Service provides security officers for the arts, toy and industrial districts, which make up the Central City East neighborhood. With its manufacturing warehouses, homeless missions and retail outlets, the area is home to a mix of residents.

Central City East Association executive director Estella Lopez said the combination of businesses requires the organization to develop different patrolling schedules for each area. The arts district is patrolled the most heavily because of the large number of homeless people there.

Since two of Central City East's districts border Skid Row, Lopez said the BID developed its own policies on how to deal with incidents unique to the homeless population.

"We give security guards specialized training that involves people like the Fire Department, Police Department and social service agencies," Lopez said.

Both the South Park and Central City East groups work closely to coordinate their officers' efforts with the Los Angeles Police Department.

"If an officer were to apprehend someone in the district, the first call is to LAPD," Pfeiffer said.