We spend the majority of our days on the streets reporting the problematic locations and getting the resources to the area as quickly as we identify them. Homeless outreach has been the priority for the past three years. What we learned was the complicated jurisdictions created areas where there were very little to no resources targeting those locations in need of help. What seemed impossible three years ago has blossomed into a bi-weekly collaborative outreach event with agencies from throughout the City of Los Angeles, Unincorporated Areas and City of Gardena working in tandem.
The next step was ensuring the various law enforcement agencies, public utility companies and Golden State Water were included in the process. Illegal power connections continue to be safety issues in both the City of Los Angeles and Unincorporated LA County areas. Sometimes, these issues involve Southern California Edison, LA County Public Works and/or the LA City Department of Water & Power depending on the pole or street vault.
The other areas of concern were Union Pacific Railroad property, LADWP property and Caltrans areas. Due to the jurisdictions, local law enforcement had no legal authority to uphold the law. Each entity has their own policing. Agencies like LAPD and Sheriff did not have the ability to enforce criminal activity. Working together, MOU's or Memo of Understanding were created to help target the problematic areas. These areas required us to patrol them using alternative options.
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