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The same issue came up last May when some Glassell Park residents asked why the LAPD Northeast Division issued a community e-mail alert about the assaults on two school girls a week after the incident too place. In contrast, a kidnapping attempt in April against a girl walking to a middle school in Silver Lake prompted the police to issue an e-mail warning a few hours after th
Police say they constantly struggle as to when to alert residents to ongoing crime, especially when it's not clear who they are looking for or if there is a connection between incidents. In the case of the Echo Park assaults, nearby schools did notify parents of the attacks even though school was not in session, said Lt. Wes Buhrmester with the Rampart Detective Division.
"An issue with which we constantly wrestle is when to disseminate information, and to what degree," said Buhrmester via email. "In this case, although the first case did occur in the spring, we were not reasonably sure, to our comfort, that the same suspect was involved in all three cases. As time went on and the investigation proceeded forth (locating and interviewing additional witnesses), we believed one suspect was responsible for all three crimes. At that point in time, the community alert was published."
Today's press conference is scheduled for 10:30 a.m at 400 North Belmont.
Good journalism on this one. I hope this guy gets picked up as soon as possible before taking the hint and heading off to another neighborhood where he can prey on other girls.
ReplyDeleteVery nice piece, full of information and free of histrionics.
ReplyDeleteYour site is one of my favorite things about living in NELA.