Notes from Sept 15, 2011 3rd District Neighborhood Association Meeting
Councilman DeLong's 3rd District Neighborhood Association Meeting was held on 9/15 at the Long Beach Yacht Club. In addition to briefly commenting on the City's budget process, DeLong shared that the 2nd+PCH revised EIR was scheduled to be heard at the Planning Commission's October 6 meeting. He anticipated the project would be heard at the City Council meeting approximately one month later. A recent update from DeLong indicated there will likely be a change in the date of the Planning Commission hearing so if this is an issue you are interested in following, updates can be found on the LB Development Services website:
DeLong also mentioned that for residents who are concerned about people rummaging through their recycling bins, locking trash cans are available through the Councilman's office. Contact: julie.maleki@longbeach.gov
Lisa Lopez, LBPD East Division Commander commented on the following:
- In light of the recent power outage, everyone should have a family emergency plan in place.
- Throughout the east division burglaries have increased, including residential, garage (primarily bicycles) and theft from automobiles (typically items that can be seen through windows). One half of the residential burglaries occur through unlocked doors or windows so lock things up when you leave. Bicycle theft has increased. She reminded everyone of the importance of recording serial numbers so that if items are recovered they know who to call: bicyles, computers and other electronic equipment). One suggestion she made was to record serial numbers on your mobile device (and don't lose your device!!). Or take photos and store in a safe location.
Since that meeting, I went back and updated residential burglary information for Belmont Heights. Attached is a map that shows the reporting divisions for the Heights as well as a spreadsheet that tracks data for the last several years. This report includes only residential burglaries. In 2010, there were 86 residential burglaries; as of April, 2011, there were 30 for an annualized figure of 90. I did look at bicycle theft for the 6 months ending December 31, 2010 and a total of 23 bicylces were stolen in the Heights. For the first 4 months of this year, there were 9 bicycle thefts. If that trend continues for 2011, bicyles thefts in the Heights would actually be lower this year. More detailed information can be found on the LBDP website by clicking on the crime statistics link:
Belmont Heights PD Reporting Map
Residential Burglaries Belmont Heights
Jim McDonnell, Chief, LBPD commented:
- Two years ago the PD had 1,020 officers; presently there are 851.
- The City's homicide rate is at a 40 year low and down 42.3% from last year.
- The PD response time for a priority one call was 3.8 minutes last year and is 4.3 minutes this year. According to the Chief, this is still an excellent response time when compared to other cities.
- He encouraged use of the "anonymous tip line" when one has information about a crime and does not want to be identified. Information on the tip line can be found on the PD website through the above link.
- Apparently "gold snatching" crimes are on the rise because of the high price of gold. He cautioned everyone to be careful of how and where one wears gold jewelry.
- The mandate to the state prison system to reduce overcrowding will definitely have an impact on cities and towns throughout the state, Long Beach included. This transition will take place over a 2 year period and I did not come away with a clear picture on how this will specifically affect Long Beach. Please contact the Chief if you have questions regarding this issue.
