Comic Legend Richard Pryor Dies at 65
Our
Town
The
Pied Piper of Watts
Robinson to Step Down From College Board
Compton Challenges LAFCO Over Service Report
Sheriff’s Captain Highlights Agency’s Highs and Lows of 2005
Breakfast With Santa a Hit With Local Kids
Compton’s Commercial Revolving Loan Fund Left With Surplus
CDC Reports Deadly Bacterial Illness Appears to Be Growing More Common
Community
Remains Optimistic About Public Safety
Citizens Still
Cite Concerns Over Murder Rates
By Bulletin Staff Writer
Compton
has endured an unfortunate rise in homicides this year, making
public safety a topic of paramount concern for the city’s residents.
Against the backdrop of community meetings, town hall forums,
church gatherings and press conferences, politicians, members of
the clergy,
community activists and residents have searched for answers
amid the seemingly ubiquitous sounds of gunfire and cries of anguish
of
the relatives left behind.
With 2005 coming to a close, the Bulletin talked to a variety of
residents, community activists and two officeholders to get their sense
of how they rate the state of public safety in Compton. All seemed eager
to offer their opinions on the volatile subject of police work and crime,
the latter which has affected Hub City disproportionately of all the other
cities around the Alameda Corridor.
Marjorie Shipp feels that the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department,
which has been in Compton since 2000 when they replaced the defunct Compton
Police Department, has done an adequate job policing the city but remains
concerned about the unusually high murder rate. “The amount of (homicides)
bothers me,” Shipp, who was sworn in this week for another term on
the Compton Unified School District, said last week. The board member stated
that she had not seen a great deal of improvement in the level of service
this year, and she believes that it could be due to the fact that many
of the deputies have not worked long enough in Compton. “If you don’t
know the community, how can you police it?” she asked.
Capt Eric Hamilton has stated that his deputies care very much about
what goes on in the city where they work, and is not convinced by comments
like Shipp’s that the deputies demonstrate unfamiliarity. “Our
staff is a very professional staff, and they work very hard to get to know
the community and to do their best for the entire community,” he
told the Bulletin last week.
The city’s elected officials are also worried about the escalating
crime rate, says Councilwoman Barbara Calhoun. “Just like our residents
are concerned, we’re concerned too,” Calhoun asserted.
“Things are coming together, although some residents may not be able
to see it right now,” the councilwoman stated. She mentioned the
anti-gang organization Amer-I-Can, which has now set up shop in Compton,
as an alternative resource that the city can use in its battle against
gang violence. “They have done great work with gangs in other cities,” Calhoun
pointed out.
She stressed that a grass-roots level campaign of activism, like
establishing more block clubs in different neighborhoods will help to lower
the crime rate. Like Hamilton, she strongly advocated more public involvement. “We
are all in this together, and the council is dedicated to making Compton
a safer place,” she asserted.
“We as residents need to let them know when something is going on
in the community,” Shipp agreed. “We are the eyes and ears
of the community, and (the sheriffs) need our help.”
Gladys Russell is not a big fan of the sheriffs. Although she says
that she supports the department and even worked on the Save Our Sheriffs
campaign to keep them in Compton two years ago, she now says that she they
have not done a good job this year in policing her community. “There
is still a lot of crime and murders that are not being solved,” she
lamented. “When you leave your home, you don’t know if you’re
going to get hit by a stray bullet.”
Shipp is encouraged that the sheriffs have pledged to work more with
the CUSD police force with respect to curfew violations and truancy. “I’ve
hoped for that for a while,” Shipp said in a relieved tone. “Maybe
this way they can work together to curtail some of the things that some
of our students might be involved in,” the school board member said
hopefully.
William Kemp, a staunch supporter of the sheriffs, believes that
one of the biggest problems facing law enforcement in Compton is the fact
that there are not enough deputies to adequately police the city. “The
City Council should allocate more money to put more officers on the street,” Kemp
said. “It’s a matter of what you consider important.”
Kemp, who was the chairman of Save Our Sheriffs, agrees with Hamilton and Calhoun
that the residents must get more involved, but also says that the sheriffs are
responsible for law enforcement. “Ultimately, it’s the Sheriff’s
Dept. job to police the city,” he stated.
He also challenged the council’s funding priorities. “We’re
spending too much money on public relations and not enough on law enforcement,” Kemp
accused.
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