Here’s some awesome news in the midst of all the turmoil in this crazy Antelope Valley housing market! This was just sent to me from Joseph Cabral down at Lancaster City Hall …

City of Lancaster Sheriff’s Station Ranks at the Top in Overall Crime Reduction Throughout Los Angeles County

Lancaster, CA. September 23, 2009 — The City of Lancaster’s Sheriff’s Station ranks second in overall crime reduction compared to all Sheriff’s stations in Los Angeles County thus far this year. According to statistics recently released by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the Lancaster station has accomplished a 22.3 percent drop in its crime rate thus far in 2009 compared to the same period in 2008.

“The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department continues to do a truly remarkable job, decreasing violent crime by 10 percent and property crime by 11 percent throughout their policing areas,” remarked Mayor R. Rex Parris. “It is a testament to the extraordinary efforts of the deputies at the Lancaster Sheriff’s Station that our part one crime rate has decreased more than double that percentage during the same period. I applaud Captain Axel Anderson, the Lancaster deputies, our Criminal Justice Commission, and the many community stakeholders who have been participating to make Lancaster a truly safe place to live.”

City officials credit this success to a wide variety of innovative crime-fighting tactics. “In spite of economic conditions which had analysts predicting we would experience an increase in crime, we have made a great deal of progress throughout the past year in making our residents safer,” said City Manager Mark Bozigian. “Our public safety efforts our second to none and the results are undeniable.”

These efforts include last summer’s launch of a Criminal Justice Commission, which engages various segments of the community in the fight against crime. In July 2008, the City and the Sheriff’s Department created the Burglary Suppression Team, a unit devoted solely to solving and preventing burglary cases.

In February, the Lancaster Sheriff’s Station was named LA County’s first research and development station. This designation affords the station and the City a number of opportunities to test new techniques in crime reduction and prevention.

The City and Sheriffs have also continued other aggressive initiatives, including the Lancaster Community Appreciation Project (LAN-CAP), a special team that focuses on rental properties. The Sheriff’s High-Impact Team targets problematic areas for 90-day periods to reduce crime. Also ongoing is the City’s partnership with the Sheriff’s Department and the California Highway Patrol in an anti-gang task force.

Since mid-2008, Lancaster’s Neighborhood Watch groups have increased more than 50 percent, from 116 to 180. During the same period, the number of Business Watch groups has increased nearly tenfold, from 18 to 168.

“Citizen involvement has been an absolutely essential component of our crime-fighting strategy,” added Mayor Parris. “The Sheriff’s Station and the City simply cannot accomplish this alone. Our residents have provided a resounding response to our call for involvement.”

While Lancaster has seen great success with its many crime reduction efforts, still more are in the works. Late August saw the launch of the Target-Oriented Policing/ Parole Fugitive Apprehension Detail (TOP/PFAD), the evolution of a special unit formerly known simply as TOP. TOP/PFAD will focus on crime prevention in light of the hundreds of parolees who are set to be released early by the State of California during the next two years.

A high-tech crime reduction tool is also in development. Officials are currently researching ways to implement a 360-degree aerial surveillance camera which will be mounted on the bottom of a small plane. The system will have the capability to record close-ups from as far as five miles away, allowing law enforcement officials to zoom in on any location.

“I am proud of our community’s tireless efforts to combat crime, but make no mistake – we are not resting on our laurels,” said Parris. “Nor are we simply playing a numbers game here. We are working to protect our children, spouses and friends from those who wish to do them harm. We are in this fight for the long haul, and we will not rest.”

Other Sheriff’s Stations included in the top five largest crime drops throughout the County were Century City, Norwalk and Walnut. Ranked first was Avalon, a City of approximately 3,100 located on Santa Catalina Island.

I just received the following communication from the City of Lancaster … Please contact your local representative to stop this from becoming reality!  Lancaster has been working hard to decrease its crime rate.  We don’t need the added stigma of high-risk criminals moving into our back yards.  Along with the inmates comes their friends to visit … Help keep our valley safe!

Dear Citizens:

The City of Lancaster has recently enjoyed tremendous cuts in our crime rate as we continue to aggressively combat criminal and gang activity.  This has been a community led battle which has achieved lasting results and restored calm to our neighborhoods.

As we speak, however, state agencies are looking to compromise Lancaster’s fight to restore safety to the Antelope Valley by advancing plans to increase the concentration of sex offenders and violent criminals at the California State Prison in Lancaster.  This is being done with blatant disregard for our community’s safety, compromising the efforts we have all made to end violence in City neighborhoods.  As the Mayor of Lancaster, I implore all residents and members of the greater Antelope Valley to help protest these actions and stop this unfair targeting of our community.

The California Department of Correction and Rehabilitation plans to convert the C Yard at the California State Prison – Los Angeles County in Lancaster into a Level Four Special Needs yard, a move that will make the prison home to some of the worst inmates in the entire state.  Please help combat these plans by forwarding letters to your elected officials in opposition to these horrific plans.

You may access a letter opposing the proposed prison conversion by clicking here .  You may copy the content of the letter, and paste it into the body of your email. Using the email addresses provided, please sign and forward the opposition letter to your elected officials and representatives.

Be sure to provide a closing to the letter with your name, and feel free to personalize the letter in any other way you see fit.  You may also choose to print the letter for standard mailing. For more information on the prison yard conversion, please read the City’s press release or watch a special video message regarding this issue.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact the City at (661) 723-6000 or log onto www.cityoflancasterca.org .  Also, make sure to sign up for CityLink updates to receive breaking news regarding this and other City issues.

Thank you again for your help. I am confident that together we can fight this injustice and continue our efforts to make the Antelope Valley the safest community in America.

Respectfully,

R. Rex Parris,

Mayor of Lancaster

Send your emails and letters to the following individuals:

Matthew Cate, Secretary of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
matt.cate@cdcr.ca.gov
1515 S Street, Suite 502 South
Sacramento, CA 95811
Phone: (916) 323-6001

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
governor@governor.ca.gov
Los Angeles Office:
300 South Spring St, Suite 16701
Los Angeles, CA 90013
Phone: (213) 897-0322
Fax: (213) 897-0319

Senator George Runner
senator.runner@sen.ca.gov
Lancaster Office:
848 W. Lancaster Boulevard, Suite 101
Lancaster, CA 93534
Phone: (661) 729-6232
Fax: (661) 729-1683

Congressman, Howard "Buck" McKeon
http://mckeon.house.gov/contact.shtml
Palmdale Office:
1008 W. Ave M-14, Suite E-1
Palmdale, CA 93551

Congressman, Kevin McCarthy
http://kevinmccarthy.house.gov/showpage.asp?ID=69
4100 Empire Drive, Suite 150
Bakersfield, CA 93309

Assemblyman Steve Knight

http://republican.assembly.ca.gov/member/36/?p=email

Antelope Valley District Office:
41319 12th Street W, Suite 105
Palmdale, CA 93551
(661) 267-7636
(661) 267-7736 fax

Senator Dianne Feinstein
http://feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactUS.EmailMe
Los Angeles Office:
11111 Santa Monica Boulevard, Suite 915
Los Angeles, CA 90025

Senator Barbara Boxer
http://boxer.senate.gov/contact/email/policy.cfm
Los Angeles Office:
312 N. Spring Street, Suite 1748
Los Angeles, CA 90012

This Saturday, April 11th, 2009 from 9AM to 12PM is our Boy Scout Troop 444′s Annual Pancake Breakfast. Tickets purchased at the door go towards the troop funds so we can continue to provide an excellent program for our Scouts!

The event is held at the Palmdale Elks Lodge at 2705 East Avenue Q between 25th and 30th St E.

$5.00 donation gets you all the pancakes, sausage, juice, and coffee you can eat/drink! Come over and enjoy the food and the service (the Scouts do it all!)

If you have any questions please give me a call at (661) 285-5975 x101

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