Members of the Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Department issued 100 traffic citations and 238 warnings last month, about twice as many as in January 2017, when authorities distributed 52 tickets and gave 111 warnings.
“So drive carefully,” said Councilman Greg Brown at Tuesday’s City Council meeting, where Capt. Chris Blasnek delivered his monthly review of La Cañada Flintridge crime statistics.
The increase in citations and warnings is part of an effort to increase vigilance on the roadways of LCF, he said.
The city experienced a significant increase in residential burglaries over the past couple of months. There were 14 residential burglaries this past January; during the same month in 2017, there were six.
Following recent arrests of burglary suspects in Temple City, Apple Valley and at the La Crescenta station, Blasnek said he’s sensing an improvement this month: “Knock on wood, this has started out to be a good month for us; we’re way down,” he said.
“Arrests are up, saturation is up and we continue to do zero tolerance on no license plates on vehicles,” Blasnek added. “It’s my opinion that we’re going to catch these guys in a traffic stop.”
He said a second license plate reader is now in effect in the city and a newly trained law enforcement technician is employed at the Crescenta Valley station, on call to expedite the fingerprinting process when necessary.
Also, Blasnek said, LCF’s number of Neighborhood Watch groups has grown to 35, including eight that recently formed.
“If you haven’t started one, I encourage you to do that,” Blasnek said. “That seems to be on the rise and it appears to be going very well.”
The city also has scheduled a public safety town hall on Monday, March 5, at Lanterman Auditorium. Members of the Sheriff’s Department, as well as local and state government will be on hand to discuss “how residents can better protect themselves,” said Carl Alameda, the city’s director of administrative services.
City Manager Mark Alexander said doors will open at 5 p.m., after which residents will have an hour to speak one-on-one with officials. At 6 p.m., the formal presentations are set to begin.
For more information, visit lcf.ca.gov.
