As part of the department’s Community Oriented Policing efforts, Costa Mesa officers are expanding a new foot patrol unit that has been having success with eliminating loitering and other issues associated with homeless and transients on 19th Street and the Westside.
Now officers are taking those successes to the Eastside and walking the beat along 17th Street between Newport Boulevard and Santa Ana Avenue.
One recent Friday, officers, Slawek Luczkiewicz, June Jeong, Katrina Cover and Sgt. Bang Le walked through local shopping centers and strip malls, ensuring that transients were not loitering or sleeping there.
“We never have done a full scale foot patrol in the city,” Chief Rob Sharpnack said. “It goes to the heart of Community Oriented Policing. The officers are excited about it and we will look for ways to make it more effective.”
The new foot patrol dovetails with other community policing efforts such as the bike patrol, where officers are using creative ways to be more visible and get out of the patrol cars. And the 19th Street and 17th Street corridors are great places for the patrols in particular because of the density of businesses and residents.
The idea sprang forward as Chief Sharpnack was brainstorming with his command staff about ways to improve the police department’s community approach.
Lt. Joyce LaPointe was the main advocate for the foot patrols, Sharpnack said.
The officers are making a lot of progress, LaPointe said. What started out as an idea to help businesses in the community has expanded to also helping the homeless and letting them know where they can and can’t be. And the response from the community, businesses and officers has been largely positive.
“Overall I’ve been getting a lot of good feedback from officers,” LaPointe said. “It has brought back that old traditional feeling of being a cop and being in the community. I’ve been really pleased with the response.”
Chief Sharpnack said he’s heard the same positive feedback from his officers.
“What I’m hearing is the officers think it’s another opportunity for them to get out and interact with members of the public,” Chief Sharpnack said. “They develop a bond with residents and business owners.”
