At today's Belmont Shore Business Association meeting, Officer Covarubias was asked about these recent videos posted in the District Weekly. Officer Covarubias claimed to be unaware of any calls made to the police, implying that none had been made. Furthermore, Officer Covarubias claimed residents making "fake" gun calls was becoming a problem. I wonder if Officer Covarubias, like Officer Hunt admitted at the BSRA meeting, is also ASSUMING residents are faking calls for service or whether she indeed knows that for a fact. Either way, I find it astonishing the police are now telling the Business Association that residents are a problem because they make fake calls for service? Nothing like the police pitting the residents and the businesses against one another.

Oh and by the way, Officer Covarubias did report that four 2nd street businesses had been burglarized in the past couple weeks. Gene Rotono's Legends bar was one of the burglaries. This could be a positive. Maybe Belmont Shore can get more police at night now that Councilman DeLong's 2nd street business buddies are feeling the impact of having no police at night.

Mike, because I live on an alley, though not in the shore, I looked into security camera systems today. There are really neat systems that are triggered by motion sensor that record to DVD--they can save up to 14 days worth of footage this way. The footage can then be downloaded and sent to youtube. I think the residents should start making more and more videos and posting them. A 24 hour camera system ensures the residents can tape without jeopardizing their own safety--and catch EVERYTHING. I'm sure from there they cleverly and anonymously email the BSresident2009 youtube account with videos to post. It's what I would do next if I were any alley neighboir in the Shore especially if I had a property that neighbored a bar on Second.) It's not very expensive to do.

Videotaping will also have the awesome side effect of documenting what LBPD does in response when citizens report a crime!

In addition I think as many obvious personal identifying features of the individuals involved should be posted online to some kind of blog.

I live on an alley too and have thought about doing this. It might be more techinical than I can handle, and I had assumed I'd show any videos to the police, but maybe Youtube is a better forum in this day and age.

It's easy to do, just hire someone to set it up. From there the system runs itself. You can download footage as needed if something happens and you want to check the recording for it. It works pretty much like your DVR or TIVO.

All three videos of overserved Belmont Shore bar patrons are posted at the below link.

http://www.youtube.com/user/BSResident2009

Why must residents and their families be subjected to fights, vandalism, public urination, etc. in front of their homes and in their front yards? Councilman DeLong allows his 2nd street commercial property owner and Business Association buddies that don't live in our neighborhood do anything they want. Councilman DeLong has met with residents in the area and gives nothing but lip service. Meanwhile Councilman DeLong has sponsored and approved loans of public money, alcohol licenses, variances without public hearings and entertainment licenses for the biggest problem bars in Belmont Shore. Councilman DeLong is the problem. At any time he could ask the police to clamp down on his friends who are a scourge to our community. Yet, he chooses not to.

WOMAN PARKING CAR IN BELMONT SHORE NEIGHBORHOOD CONFRONTED BY ARMED MAN FRIDAY NIGHT as reported in the Report.com link below.

http://www.lbreport.com/news/may09/belcarj.htm

The crooks, fighters and vandals go where the cops aren’t. That’s in Belmont Shore. I wonder if a police report was filled out? After all, there was no crime unless a report was completed. Failing to fill out the crime report is the easiest way to keep the cities crime statistics low.

It's also listed in the Press Telegram as the most viewed article per the link below.

http://www.presstelegram.com/news/ci_12439480

You know darn well that a police report was made and that the Robbery Detectives are investigating the crime. You are such a joke.

Wait, let me take that back. Did you even read the article? It just sounds like you read the headline and jumpped to your own conclusions, as always.

I would also like to know how you plan on blaming Legends and the other bar owners for this one. Are you going to tell us that the bar owners hired the suspect to rob this woman just to take attention away from them. Come on Mike, think of something creative.

Oh wait, are you going to start up with your police corruption tirade again and your belief that Mr. Rotondo and Mr. DeLong are behind the whole thing.

Hey Mike, maybe the reason that the cops were not there to stop this crime is because they were busy giving someone a ticket for picking through your trash... again.

Hello Whoremeup,

How would I know a police report was made? If detectives are investigating the crime, that is great. However, I can give you several DR#s provided by cops responding to crime in my neighborhood that were never reported by the police. I met with and gave six unreported DR#s to Commander Quach and told him the same thing. He promised to get back with me and didn’t despite numerous email inquiries. Why should I believe this one is being treated any different?

I wasn’t aware Councilman DeLong, Business Association President Rotondo or his Legends bar had anything to do with this kidnapping and attempted robbery. Can you provide information on their involvement?

Wow... the President of the Belmont Shore Resident's Association just called me a whore. I am so impressed and sad at the same time that this is the type of trash talking that a person in your position has lowered himself to because his feeling got hurt.

You amaze me.

Now as far as your claims about Commander Quach not getting back to you, I would like to point out that Commander Quach has not been assigned to the East Division since November 2005. That was almost 4 years ago... So you might want to bring up something a bit more timely.

And just to let you know, if you are not an involved party to a crime (victim or suspect) law enforcement DOES NOT HAVE TO tell you or anyone else anything. There is a little thing called right to know and need to know. Just because you are nosey does not give you the right to know or the need to know anything.

Mr. Ruehle: Had you read the full article you have cited, or read it with better understanding, you would have noted within it the information that the police were called, theat they are investigating and that anyone with information should contact the Robbery Detail at the listed number. This is how you would "know a police report was made".

A DR is a documented crime report, Mike. This means that the incident was "reported to the police". So to say that you can give us "several DR#s provided by cops responding to crime in my neighborhood that were never reported by the police" is to be factually inaccurate. Likewise it's not possible for you to give "gave six unreported DR#s to Commander Quach". As mentioned, DR's ARE reports.

Also, is it truly necessary to change a person's chosen pseudonym into an epithet for nor purpose other than to offer personal insult? What constructive purpose does that serve? Are you incapable of remaining civil and respectful in your discourse?

Mr. Greet,

You are full of it. I have several DR#s where I was the victim and there was no police report filed. In fact, I have the report forms the cops gave me with their names on it. Three were by the same cop. I gave copies of those 6 DR#s to Commander Quach and never heard back from him.

In each case, I called in weeks after the DR# was given to me to find out the progress on the investigation. In EACH case, I was told the police had no record of the DR# I provided which was given to me by the police. You can talk all you want about how it should be. However, that is not what really happens in Long Beach.

I just dug up three of the six DR#s I gave to Commander Quach. The fourth occurred since then but also has no report on file according to the police person I spoke with. In each case, cops gave me a form when they arrived at the scene. The form has the DR# written on it and is called "Application for release of traffic collision and/or/incident information"

DR# 010081169, Officer M. Gjersvold
DR# 04-40586, Officer S. Miller
DR# 050040468, Officer T. Cummings
DR# 07-88314, Oficer E. Fernandez

Mr. Ruehle: Continue to insult me if you insist but doing so isn't going to make your case any stronger. You've listed 4 reports here, 1 each from calendar years 2001, 2004, 2005 and 2007, assuming your numbers are correct.

First: Whether or not Commander Quach got back to you on this has nothing whatsoever to do with whether the reports were filed. Commanders are busy people and they usually have staff to delegate such requests to.

Second: I don't know what "police person" you spoke with but if it wasn't someone in Records, you may well have been wasting your time.

Third: Despite that you have been little more than caustic and insulting with me throughout this discussion I'm going to try to assist you because that's my job and if you have filed DR's with LBPD you have a right to know they have been completed and what action, if any, has been taken on them.

So I want you to provide me with *every single DR* you have filed with us but have not been able to receive an answer about. List all of them here so that you can have proof that you have provided them to me. I'll let you know, also here, that I have seen the numbers and noted them for my research on your behalf.

When I get back from vacation (I'm out of State currently) I'm going to *personally* inquire about each of the listed DR's for you. When I have an answer on each I will likewise report it here...so that others will be aware that you have received your response.

Fourth: In the future...rather than bad mouthing individuals and groups over perceived slights and lack of response, try a little harder to keep a civil tongue and a constructive and respectful demeanor and simply asking another (like me) for assitance.

If you would but try this approach from time to time you might actually make some progress and receive the sort of service all residents have a right to expect and so well deserve.

I'll be waiting for your complete list of DR's.

Greet, quit whining about being insulted. Your condescending tone and repeated, repeated, repeated, civics lessons are more insulting than anything tossed your way. It appears to me you frequently talk down your nose to me. Based upon what I’ve read, others frequently feel the same.

You hold yourself out as being this all wise, all-knowing objective person. Yet in many cases, your opinions are self serving and hypocritical. As an example, I remind you of your recent argument that police union members should have the right to ratify a pay rate contract negotiated by your duly elected negotiating committee. However, the public should not have the same right to vote its approval on the same contract negotiated by our corrupt elected officials. Your argument is not objective. It is clearly self serving.

When you earn my respect, I will gladly accept your advice. Until then, I suggest you waste your energy granting advice on someone else. You’ve got the first four DR#s. I’ll dig up the other three.

Mr. Ruehle: You continue to prove yourself incabable of simple courtesy and respect, even when someone genuinely offers to assist you.

That's fine. I'll allow your behavior and the manner in which you choose to deal with me to speak for itself and I can only hope that mine will do so also.

Others can draw their own conclusions accordingly.

Since you've been so very courteous and cooperative with me I've decided to put myself on the clock temporarily to assist you with your request. It concerned me greatly to learn that a member of our community was alleging that the reports related to several DR numbers issued some time ago may not have ever been filed and, as a supervisor, I felt it my duty to investigate this allegation and have now done so.

I contacted an LBPD Records Supervisor, by phone, in the course and scope of my employment, and asked for assistance in researching the DR's in question. The results are as follows:

01-81169, a report from 10-7-01, **was filed** and the documents exist in our Records system.

04-40586, a report from 5-18-04, **was filed** and the documents exist in our Records system.

05-40468, a report from 5-17-05, **was filed** and the documents exist in our Records system.

07-88314, a report from 11-8-07, **was filed** and the documents exist in our Records system.

All of this information is public record and public access and I confirmed it while on duty and in the course and scope of my employment to assist a resident of the City of Long Beach with a records confirmation challenge they were experiencing.

Nothing I have disclosed is in any way confidential or restricted information and my sole purpose and intent is to determine whether or not this persons allegation had any foundation in fact. My finding is that it did not.

Now, Mr. Ruehle, in the future, I would respectfully request that you avoid making unfounded allegations of this sort and that if you seek Records-related answers that you *start* by contacting the Department's Records and Technology Division and that if you do not receive the assistance you seek from the line employee, that you courteously ask to speak with a Records Supervisor who should be able to assist you far better than most anyone else in the Department on challenges of this sort.

I hope I have been able to assist you sufficiently with this matter.

It is my great hope that in the future you might avoid making allegations of this sort without sufficient facts to support them and likewise avoid your apparent habit of misinformation and erroneous assumptions.

As for me, on a personal level I'm now thoroughly and completely *done* with you.

Hail King Greet,

Thank you for looking into each of these. Now I need to request the reports to find out if the city pursued prosecution. I doubt it since I was the victim and was not contacted by the City Prosecutor or District Attorney to be a witness. That’s what happened with vandalism, terrorist threats and battery that occurred four years ago with DR# 05-39115 and DR#05-40468. I was initially contacted by the city prosecutor but then never heard another word from the city.

DR#07-67718 was a burglary I witnessed. I again contacted the police on this matter a week afterwards and was told there was no record of that DR#. You have your inside contacts to check into things unavailable to us schlubs who only do what they are told by the police. It wasn’t only until afterwards when I complained to a friend who contacted a FBI buddy, did I get a call from a Long Beach Detective wanting to hear about the burglary I witnessed. If you don’t believe me, I suggest you talk to the Detective assigned the case. Its been almost two years since the police caught the burglars and released them without filling out a report. According to the Detective, the driver of the get-away van admitted to the crime. Yet, the city chose to not prosecute the burglars because of their huge backlog. That is what I was told a year ago.

The best part about it is that City Prosecutor Reeves had been a guest speaker at the resident’s association meeting that month where he urged residents to get involved with helping the cops keep the community free of crime. So what do I do? I interrupt a burglary in process, chase down the license of the van, and participate in a line up where four tatted-out gang members know who I am and where I live. Retaliation is a distinct possibility. What do I get out of being an involved citizen assisting the police? Nothing. No prosecution of the bad guys. All I did was put myself in harms way for no reason. Thanks for the wonderful advice Mr. Reeves.

Belmont Shore residents found another glimmer of hope towards progress in protecting their neighborhood from being destroyed by Councilman DeLong’s buddies. Residents learned in yesterday’s Parking Commission meeting that Commission Chairman Kurt Schneiter had his wings clipped again. After a complaint was filed with the District Attorney’s office, Mr. Schneiter is now being forced to recuse himself from the valet parking action he originated. It appears Mr. Schneiter continues to use his Mayoral appointed Commission appointment to further his business interest in Belmont Shore. He wishes to create valet parking for the bar he owns in Belmont Shore. It’s too bad residents have to seek help from outside Long Beach to keep Councilman DeLong’s buddies in check.

I wonder if Commissioner Shneiter forgot to explain to the DA that that's how things are done, and have been done forever in wrong beach?

Have faith Mike, it took a lowly Orange County alternative weekly (years)to bring down a corrupt elected official who was more powerful than anyone wrong beach has to offer up.

Well, I have a solution. Have the police shoot someone on 2nd St. and you will see over 50 patrol cars, trucks, vans, motorcycles and a helicopter within 10 minutes. PROBLEM SOLVED!
WARNING: This time it was an officer involved shooting, I have watched countless fights and will bet my house that the next one won't involve the police.
Should the residents who pay the most taxes recieve the least services? Apparently!
My second solution is that we, as residents, pull public records for bar owner residences and collectively vomit on their porches and the when we return to the Shore we pee inside their establishments. Occasionally when we see them during DAYLIGHT hours at their bars we yell at them as loud as we can and then just for fun we threaten them with physical violence.

Don't BS the BS residents. I love the comments from everyone not directly affected who have never been awakened by screaming/puking/pissing/fighting bar patrons.
Yes, we were aware that we bought homes near bars but in no way does that entitle patrons to disrespect our property and threaten our peace.

Attorneys, and others, are kicking this mess around with highly placed Law Enforcement experts from these, and other Jurisdictions. Many know that there are alternate means to affect an equitable resolution here and that the residents, or their rep's, are not the problem..

Every situation has a tipping point, where loading those last few not so heavy items on the pack mules' back, brings the mule to his knees. The residents have been the overburdened 'Pack Mule' too long. They also deserve better, they pay for the City Hall, Police and Fire party with their taxes, and a select few Bars presently appear to be reaping an unjust reward.

Savvy insiders state that this is all because the Councilman has chosen to look the other way for certain friends. Sadly. The onus is upon him, to prove otherwise. Do not hold your breath given the distain for certain Resident Associations.

Legal review shows a long history of Dram Shop rules, or an area of Law well designed to tame the Party a bit when it comes to ''Bars Gone Wild'' !!!

These last 6 licenses are a symptom of a longstanding, festering problem mixed with a 'all business is good' City and Councilman mindset recently. This problem has been demonstrably amplified by allowing the large bars to basically run themselves, ie, way beyond reasonableness?



A resident message needs to be sent and these video's are alarming to those who know this area well, over many decades.. In the 70s,80s and 90s, the Police were an ever present part of the 2nd Street Party. Nowadays, you rarely see them on Patrol, conducting field sobriety tests, walking a beat when actually needed, or cruising with their Probable Cause meters on.

We love the Police, but many observe far too many Police Cars at or around the East Division sub station. We are quoting a retired Commander, and a retired Asst Chief on this aspect. Of course they are not all in service, but it can look bad to some, especially when we recall a time when there was no sub station, and many of those patrol cars were rolling all of the time, everywhere.



A simple suggestion includes, Draft and circulate a simple Petition, among residents, to demand that City Staff draft and pass a 1 year curfew , at midnight, on a test basis. Shoot for 1000 signatures at first. This might take a mere 2 or 3 weeks of tabling at Community gatherings, in front of markets, at the Farmers Market, Churchs and at the Summer Concerts? The result will be a finding of fact for the policy makers. Do a for or against pole as you ask for the signatures too.

Stop playing Defense, continue to seize the march, and moves on Offense.

The Legal grounds arguably appear to be exigent circumstances which include Failure of the Bar Owners to conduct their business in a manner which is reasonable, or responsible to the adajacent community, failure to provide adequate perimeter security, creating an unsafe condition, and continued Nuisance, creating fear in the average resident, lack of Police manpower needed to adequately patrol the area in a manner proportionate to the level of civil disturbance, or to the reasonable expectaction of the residents right to the quiet enjoyment of their land or leasehold, failure to hear and respond to their resident representatives legitimate concerns, failure of City or Council Staff to adequately mitgate a range of continuing Nuisances and Negative impacts that result from their approvals to date, or the resultant Civil Disturbances occasioned by the cumulative, or aggregate affect of the permits which have issued, failure of the BSBA to adequately allow resident representation and concerns to be included in their meetings and policy making decisions, thus the Breach of Civil and Criminal Statutes, and Negligence with respect to the conduct of their affairs in view of the rights, obligations to, and duties required ,of/to and for the safety and well being of non bar residents and guests in this area..

There are many other reasons to initiate Civil actions with, plenty of prospective Plaintiff's, but these arguments, and continued Evidence collection, documentation, can lay the foundation for a much better situation for the average, law abiding aggrieved residents ..

Start by simply having Residents request a Midnight curfew. This will send a loud and clear message. Apparently, a preliminary survey, shows that about 9 out of 10 Homeowners love the idea. The rationale is as simple as, let us go to bed at a reasonable hour, and start your party earlier boys and girls. Let's simply start the Party earlier, and end it earlier. On a test basis.

The entire area is also pretty tired of being awakened by Motorcycles with no muffler awaking them between 230 and 3 AM, and the Civil disturbances have really gotten out of hand. For example, Police were famous for issuing No Muffler, no registration, no license, no insurance, no headlight, rabbit start, swerving, failure to yield to pedestrian, public intoxication, drunk and disorderly citations/arrests, and many other actions in the shore during the 60s,70s and 80s. Not really the case any more? Respect for every law needs to be re-prioritized as was the case under prior Councilpersons. It sets a tone, and sends a message.

Jan Hall, Doug Drummond and Frank Coronia would not tolerate this lawless, wild West atmosphere for a minute. Residents demand at least some bang for their buck, District 3 pays about 87% of this entire City's taxes, in the aggregate, business interests included. We also have heard enough excuses, unacceptable explanations and illogical , strained justifications. Bar Owners who routinely emptied scores of rowdy drunks onto the streets at 2AM, were dealt with at risk of their license.

Many recall how a squad car would be waiting for you after bar close, and everybody got 'checked out'.


The average resident need not be held hostage by a few Club Owners trying to squeeze every possible buck out of wreckless kids who do not have to work, or set the alarm clock to feed their kids or pay the mortgage.
There is a lot of precedent in other, more civilized, resident friendly towns to reign such messes in..

All these restrictions have to be is 'Reasonable'. Such license restrictions, are quite reasonable, and in the Public Interest.

Next, since our Police have manpower and staffing restrictions. They always claim that they are overstretched. Fine, we'll stpiulate to that. Stay deployed elsewhere. Since we cannot afford more Officers, and the level of Patrol has shrunken year by year, fine, the residents want to make your job a lot easier. We can reduce the cause for far too many crimes and calls for service with a simple Midnight Curfew Ordinace consisting of a few paragraphs and 5 votes.. The PD can help sponsor it citing economic necessity, lack of Officers, the need to respond elsewhere?.


Politically, ''Domestic tranquility ''and proper Law Enforcement should be the Councilman's first concern, if not, hold him Politically accountable. Add this refusal to listen, to the recall reasoning and discussions/planning


Also, the residents can study a request for Sheriff presence in the area by way of Open Letter to , say, Chief Baca? He taught LBPD an interesting lesson back in the 80's. He saved us a lot of money by taking over a nice piece of LBPD's jurisdiction. People are asking, what piece may be next?

Request an evaluation, and Study as to the cause and effect here. Request a cost estimate for the additional police presence required on a temporary basis? Propose it on a contract basis, and propose the bill the Club Owners or the City?.


Also, some disaffected neighborhoods can easily form a simple Citizen Patrol, which carries Radios, pepper spray/maze, baton's, and plastic handcuffs. This is an extension of the Neighborhood Watch program.

They wear helmets sometimes, have face shields, vests, etc. and they hire additional private security for back up during a study period. They call for service and then affect a Citizens Arrest on video tape, and also have their Attorney's press for the appropriate prosecution when needed..

The Media is kept in the loop all of the way along. It is known as the ''Guardian Angel's' approach. The citizen patrol gets to ID the people, write a report, gather Witness statements and use the information to press or assist in Civil Complaints too. ( Tresspass to land, Tresspass to property, larceny,negligence, violation of statute, failure to prosecute, Negligence in the enforcement of laws,etc.)


The effects of these Citizen Patrols, including answered and not answered calls for service, expediency to, or refusal to prosecute, and the reduction in crimes and torts are documented and compared for future reference. The crime rate always plummets, then the bargaining begins with City Hall, and the PD. The average business, and resident adores such do gooders, generally speaking, because it often helps them..-


The numbers also often form the basis of the Civil Action that usually ends up with Bar Owners agreeing to a range of concessions, and significant cash expenditures, and additional conditions upon their Licenses.
Assembling 5 or 6 fed up residents to begin the patrols, and investigations is fun, and easy.


And finally, maybe a few of the dozens of Police Cars stored or often parked in between deployments, at the East Division sub station, can park at the 2nd Street Fire Station, and have a few of the patrolmen hover around there during 2nd and 3rd shift? They can respond just fine from there? Try it on a test basis and give them a temporary, small, home base to try out. Let them do a little more foot patrol and a little more Probable Cause observation and ticketing?

The District 3 Field Office is empty at night, put 2 or 3 Cop Cars in front of it, Thursday through Sunday , let 3 or 4 Officers operate out of it, and deploy some men more often, after 9PM, simply to cruise, write fix it tickets, walk around the bars, cruise the alleys, etc.?


We ate dinner down in the Shore recently, and observed 10 citable offenses in about 15 minutes? Something is broken, and we need to think outside the box, and seek productivity solutions too.


Reporting the crimes and torts should not be deemed the problem, and many excuses or justifications are wearing painfully thin to the average, law abiding taxpayer, or visitor. We have drifted too far in the wrong direction. .

Deploying more desk cops, even if just for a few hours, might help. Tell them to write everything that they see, or hear about for a while, and bring a little law back into Dodge...please?.

Too many people simply do not feel safe down there anymore. What a shame.


This level of disquiet is unknown in neighboring Seal Beach, Los Alamitos, Sunset Beach, Bolsa Chica and Huntington Beach night spots? is it any wonder that we send our business there, as those few getting rich by appealing to the hard drinking, drug inclined lowest common demoninator overtax our Police, and Residents?

Legend's, a former Jock Bar, is now a defacto Biker Bar?

All of the above is what we are hearing a lot of these days?

Insiders know, that The Mayor, The Councilman and the PD could straighten this all out in a week. Sure a few Bar Owners would whine and moan, but they would get over it. Will they? Ask them.

Attempting to hang this solely on the laudable efforts of the Mike Ruehle's of this World, is pure spin and a convenient , unjustified, sophomoric, and arguably unlawful distraction from the facts, issues and Law which obtains.. The Residents clearly have paramount rights here too, and must continue to assert them.

Concerned: A few things, if I may:

You state: "We love the Police, but many observe far too many Police Cars at or around the East Division sub station. We are quoting a retired Commander, and a retired Asst Chief on this aspect. Of course they are not all in service, but it can look bad to some, especially when we recall a time when there was no sub station, and many of those patrol cars were rolling all of the time, everywhere."

I'm not sure who you're quoting but those active and retired personnel who are truly familiar with the East Police Station and the logistics of operating it will tell you that not "many" but "most" of the police cars parked at or around that facility are, in fact, not in service. Those that are, are most often present while their drivers are filing reports. Doing so there keeps them in the East Division, rather than downtown, at the Public Safety Building. This, I think, is preferable. It may "look bad to some" but there simply is no place else for these cars to be parked since their facility is far too small too properly accommodate all of the vehicles assigned to it. If you recall a time before an East Division, then you should also recall a time when those cars were simply parked downtown...rather than out east...and, so, no more were "rolling all the time" then than they are now.

Curfews are all well and good...for children and during declared states of emergency. But if you impose operating conditions upon bars on 2nd Street that are different from those elsewhere in the city, then you will quite likely kill those businesses on 2nd Street that are being impacted by such (they are certain to argue) blatantly discriminatory practices, because patrons will most likely provide their custom elsewhere, rather than have to "end their party earlier" or agree to start on 2nd Street and then re-locate later. Perhaps in the minds of area residents this would not necessarily be a bad thing. But it is discriminatory nonetheless and the City would likely see many lawsuits of a different sort, as business owners decided to seek civil remedy for being treated differently from those in all other areas of the city.

If you want "respect for law re-prioritized" then you should start by re-prioritizing law enforcement and those charged with that duty. This requires a re-prioritizing of budgeting to finance the hiring of additional cops. Divisional staffing levels are set according to many factors and given the finite (and, I might add, already below average number of cops overall), hard choices must, and are, made about where to deploy them. *Each* Division is short on cops and none can be spared from any of the other Divisions to permanently re-assign them to East. Temporary task forces of extra cops borrowed from other duties can be mounted and this might be one reasonable, albeit temporary, solution to get more cops to 2nd Street for time.

You seem to feel that police personnel should be assigned according to who pays the highest percentage of taxes. This smacks of elitism and aristocracy. By your standard and according to your (uncorroborated) tax figures, East Division should be assigned about 870 of our 1000 cops and the rest of the City should have to make do with the remaining 130. This cannot truly sound realistic to you...can it? Quality of Life issues like those along 2nd Street are extremely important, granted, but so are the those same issues elsewhere throughout the City...not to mention all of the other issues that 2nd Street does not see or does not see at nearly the level of other areas throughout the City. I get that loud mufflers and drunken fights are intolerable for you. But so are the rapes and murders, the gang shootings and robberies and shootings and child abuse and domestic violence that are being experienced elsewhere in the City every single night.

Sheriff Baca was not in office when LBPD became so short staffed, through mismanagement and natural attrition, that it could not possibly continue to handle all of the City and, so, the City resorted to contracting with LASO temporarily. Thus, Sheriff Baca didn't save the City any money. Nor did Sheriff Block and the eventual decision to end the temporary contract with LASO and return policing the entire city to its own Police Department was the correct and most fiscally sound one.

The Guardian Angels have proved to be a huge success over many years and in many countries and Founder Curtis Sliwa is to be commended for birthing the concept and seeing it through. But the City can neither endorse nor assist such volunteer "citizen patrol programs" because the moment it does it assumes responsibility for them and would quickly be added to each and every lawsuit (and they would be manifold) filed against such volunteer patrols...still more money that the City does not have, paid out in damages.

If the BSBA and BSRA could better work and play well together they might consider cooperating on a project like that successfully modeled by another city neighborhood organization, the Magnolia Industrial Group, which was the first such private coalition to be permitted to tax itself and then use those subsidies to finance, among other things, Private Security Patrols within it's area of influence. This model, founded in 1993, proved hugely successful but it can only work when the stakeholders involved can cooperate well with one another...an ability not currently demonstrated by either the BSRA or BSBA.

A Police Storefront facility is a fine idea, but it should not be co-located at a Fire Station (which hardly has room for its own operations) or in a Council Field Office. Storefronts in challenged communities have proved to be fine methods for staging services and personnel into a specific area. Unfortunately LBPD has had to close those few it once had due to budget constraints. Perhaps the BSBA and BSRA could join together and make a donation to the Long Beach Police Foundation of a storefront on 2nd Street for this purpose as well as the total costs to operate, operate from and staff such a facility? How about it folks...care to cooperate for a change for the benefit of all concerned? How’s that for "think(ing) outside the box, and seek(ing) productivity solutions too."?

Those very few desk positions in LBPD that used to exist have long since been either eliminated or civilianized, again as a cost-saving measure. Occasionally a sworn officer will be assigned to a desk while recovering from an injury, but such officers could not be placed in the field (otherwise that's where'd they'd already be) and so cannot assist us here.

"Insiders"...those with half a clue anyway...understand that unless and until the entire community re-assesses its own priorities as regards to public safety and then makes those priorities sufficiently clear to our elected officials, if not through unequivocal communication then, just as effectively, at the ballot box, our elected officials will not change the manner in which they currently legislate and budget.

In a Constitutional Republic, all *rights* are important and all *concerns* are valid. But as long as our budget is finite...and it always will be so...we *must* prioritize how we apply our limited funds and other resources to the myriad challenges throughout our community, including those along 2nd Street.

If you want a greater police presence along 2nd Street, you can either authorize the hiring of more cops or you can re-assign the ones we have. If they're to be re-assigned, be sure you let the Mayor, Council, City Manager and Chief of Police know precisely which neighborhoods elsewhere in the City you feel those funds and those cops should be removed from.

Surely those other neighborhoods will understand...

To say that the police have no complicity in the criminal behavior happening in Belmont Shore is inaccurate and misleading. The Long Beach police have consistently recommended permissive approval of new alcohol permits and extended conditional use permits which can limit the hours of bars on 2nd street. The Police Departments even said YES to 6 more alcohol permits in the last 3 years over the objections of impacted Belmont Shore residents. The lack of parking pushes more drunks into our residential neighborhoods. I cannot count how many high speed DUI car wrecks that have damaged my neighbors parked cars. Now you say that the poor police department does not have adequate staffing to handle the number of bars on 2nd street. Is the reason why cops like bars sooo much is that that they can rack up overtime? Last years budget shortage was largely caused by police overtime spent controlling the crime wave caused by downtown bars patrons. 2nd street businesses siphon nearly $800,000 and Downtown over $2,000,000 from the general fund (which pays for police staffing)to their "business improvement" funds. The police overtime from alcohol related crime enforcement is in the millions. The police department you work for is part of the problem and we all know that right now your department is not part of the solution. We already pay taxes for policing. To say that taxpayer residents should pay for policing of bar related crimes that your department helped create smacks of foolish mendacity.

What kind of policeman would dismiss serious valid complaints, that MUST be addressed, in the manner you just did? greet your sad bleating is embarrassing! No cops assigned to an area when at 2am scores possibly hundreds of drunks hit the road? The city can't afford 2 or 3 units for a 3-4 hour period at least a few nights a week? That's bullshit and you know it greet! Now instead of wearing your lbpost chamber of commerce hat you're wearing your Batt's apologist hat.

I worked my way through school at a restaurant 40 years ago on 2nd Street; the kind of garbage that goes on today would never fly back then. In fact, when we used to go to "Big Johns" (now yankee doodles) to shoot pool, they even had a huge off-duty LB cop ("Big Bob") working Friday/Saturday nights to ensure the peace. You didn't mess around because there were police watching. Now I would feel more safe on the 710 freeway than 2nd St.after 9 pm.

Sounds like you feel BS residents have no need or right to timely police patrols. Are you speaking for the chief when you casually dismiss such a serious situation? If the chief approves all these licenses shouldn't he at least monitor the situation? Or is their no opportunity for a photo-op at 2:30 am on a Saturday/Sunday morning?

Mr. Wrong: I dismissed nothing and if you had read my comments with better understanding you would know that.

Patrol Officers are assigned to Beats (geographic sectors) and there is, contrary to your assertion, at least one such Beat officer assigned to THAT Beat after 2am. Could more be assigned...perhaps...but sincer the number of available patrol officers is finite...to assign additional officers to THAT Beat means to take them from another or others. Are you prepared to select which Beats are to be left empty of ANY cops so that yours can have more?

I apologize for no one but myself. But before criticizing Chief Batts for the manner in which he runs his Department, I would strongly encourage you to learn just a little bit more about the challenges, difficulties and limitations of providing police service to almost half a million residents and many thousands of businesses and visitors across 50 square miles, 24/7 before you presume to know how it might be done better.

"Big Bob" was, as you say...off duty while working at "Big John's". Big John's hired him part time. He was not working as a cop but as a bouncer for a business. I'm sure there are many cops that wouldn't mind working off duty for any of the bars along 2nd Street were it not prohibited for them to do so. The potential conflict of interest in such an arrangement is huge, as you can imagine, and so it would be a rare cop indeed that would ever receive approval for such part time work. This does not, however, preclude these bars from hiring additional (non-cop) bouncers of their own or pooling their resources and hiring a Private Security Company and that might very well be a good answer to this on-going challenge.

BS residents have a right to expect the same excellent service that every other neighborhood in our community has a right to expect. I speak for no one but myself and I have made that clear many times now. The Chief did not "approve" these licenses. He monitors what he can, as well as he can, with the resoures he is given.

If you want more police...provide the additional funds to the Police Department that are neceesary to hire train and deploy more cops.