Shots Fired at Ralphs

It's Britney Spears' Ralphs too:

Los Angeles Times
7:03 PM PDT, June 26, 2007
Man wounded in shooting at Studio City grocery
By Francisco Vara-Orta, Times Staff Writer

A gunman armed with a semiautomatic weapon shot and wounded a man after firing off several rounds this afternoon outside a bustling Ralphs supermarket in Studio City.

Several people ducked when the shots started flying about 3:45 p.m. outside the supermarket in the 12800 block of Ventura Boulevard and Coldwater Canyon Avenue, said Officer Karen Smith, a spokeswoman with the Los Angeles Police Department. The lone victim was shot in the leg, she said.

It appears that the victim and the suspect "have some form of a relationship, but we don't know yet what that could be," Smith said. The suspect was described as a man in his early to mid-20s who was accompanied by another man, she said.

"The suspect shot at the victim from six to 10 times with a semiautomatic weapon," Smith said. "But we don't know if the second man also had a gun or shot at the victim."

The two suspects fled east on Ventura Boulevard in separate vehicles, Smith said. Witnesses described one car as a black Mercedes-Benz and the other as possibly a red BMW, she said.

Smith said the victim, whose name was not released immediately, was transported to a local hospital and is expected to survive.

An investigation of the shooting is continuing.

"It's too early still to determine what happened," Smith said.

END

Armed Robbery @ Coldwater/Moorpark

From an E-Policing Alert

COMMUNITY ALERT NOTIFICATION
LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT

It is not very often that we have a armed street robbery in Studio City but on Thursday June 7th we had one. At approximately 3:55am the vict was walking on Moorpark towards Coldwater Canyon to catch the bus for work.

The suspect approached the victim on foot, pulled out a handgun, pointing it at the victim's neck and stated, "Give me your F***** money." The victim complied and the suspect fled on foot southbound Coldwater Canyon.

The victim stated he possibly observed the suspect enter an awaiting brown 4dr possibly '87-'89 Chevy Celebrity that quickly fled in the location. The suspect is described at a male white Brown hair, unk eyes, 505, 160lbs 27-28yrs. He was wearing a white baseball cap, black t-shirt, and plaid shorts.

If anybody has any information regarding this incident please contact me at 818-634-2593.

Officer Lewis
Senior Lead Officer Studio City

Hot Spot Locations for Graffiti

When we were approaching last Wednesday's graffiti meeting, I requested a map of graffiti hot spots in Sherman Oaks so I could target market segments for flyering areas of the community. And with a little touch of Web 2.0 ingenuity, Council District 2 used the My Maps feature on Google Maps to share those locations.

If you are just curious or want to adopt-a-wall, check out the map.

Anti-Graffiti Meeting is Tonight

Some more information has come out in the form of a press release, so I am just posting it here:

COUNCILWOMAN WENDY GREUEL, LAPD, NEIGHBHORHOOD GROUPS KICK-OFF ANTI-GRAFFITI PROGRAM

Councilwoman Greuel and city agencies to train local residents to fight graffiti

(LOS ANGELES) - As part of her anti-graffiti campaign, Councilwoman Wendy Greuel will sponsor an "Adopt-A-Wall" training session designed to help local residents take action against graffiti in their neighborhoods by adopting a graffiti hotspot on Wednesday, June 6^th, at 6:30 PM at Viva Gallery, 13261 Moorpark St, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423.

In 2007, there has been a nearly 300% increase in graffiti removed in Council District 2, when compared with last year. Through the "adopt-a-wall" program, community groups can take responsibility for keeping a local hotspot graffiti-free by:

· Painting out: Volunteer groups will receive supplies and training from City agencies in order to continually paint over graffiti.

· Vining: The City plant vines to cover a targeted wall and the community group commits to caring for the plants.

· Creating Murals: The interested community group sponsors a mural.

The "Adopt-A-Wall" program was introduced by Councilwoman Greuel, at a public safety town hall meeting she hosted to improve public safety by expanding neighborhood empowerment.

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WHO: Councilwoman Wendy Greuel

LAPD Community Tagger Task Force

Office of Community Beautification Director Paul Rachs

New Directions for Youth

Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council Public Safety Team

Neighborhood Watches

WHAT: Adopt-A-Wall/graffiti removal training session

WHEN: Wednesday, June 6^th, 2007 at 6:30 PM

WHERE: Viva Gallery

13261 Moorpark St

Sherman Oaks, CA 91423

Graffiti Workshop to keep Sherman Oaks Clean

In lieu of our usual Public Safety Committee meeting, we are teaming up with Councilwoman Wendy Greue'ls office for the "Adopt-a-Wall/Anti-Graffiti Activist Training Session."

Wednesday, June 6 2007 @ 6:30 p.m.

VIVA Gallery
13261 Moorpark St.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
(Intersection of Moorpark & Fulton)
Parking found on Moorpark and side streets

Food will be served.

This training session will provide you with the tips and tools on identifying (tagger vs gang) and eradicating graffiti in your neighborhood. Joining us will be the LAPD Tagger Task Force, New Directions for Youth, Office of Community Beautification and members from Councilwoman Greuel's staff.

Let's make Sherman Oaks Graffiti Clean!

Car Break-Ins On the Rise

We don't get that much crime in Sherman Oaks, but there has been a sharp increase in Burglary from Motor Vehicles (BFMVs) lately. There has been so much, I have been flooded my e-mail box with messages about this and the LAPD is pushing hard at meetings to educate people on how to have your car not become a victim to broken windows and lighter loads. We also got our first e-policing e-mail blast (a personalized e-mail about the area of LA you live in - read full blast below).

How to not get broken into

Everything here is so obvious, but we take things for granted (or we're just that lazy):

1. Lock your doors: Duh! It has been witnessed on Dickens Street that the thieves will walk up and down the streets checking car doors until they find one unlocked.
   
2. Don't leave your laptop in the car ever: If you can see it, so can they. Goodbye window, goodbye laptop.
3. Not just your iPod: iPod Docking Stations are also being targeted.
4. If empty is not an option: The LAPD will say leave nothing in the car. That is kind of hard to do. I do like to keep a sweater in case it is cold, water for emergencies, etc. However, this is out of sight and always in the trunk. To that I say this: clean the car so it looks like there is nothing in there. Who wants to break into a car that looks like it has nothing? So at the bare minimum, make your car look clean and clutter free inside!
   

What I Am Asking You To Do

1. Spread the word to your neighbors
2. Sign up for e-policing (check the box under Zip Code and a sign-up form will appear)
   

E-Policing Letter

Here is the first e-policing letter for Sherman Oaks (I am assuming West and North Sherman Oaks got e-mails today too.):

Welcome

My name is Officer Nate Banry and I'm the Senior Lead Officer for the East Sherman Oaks area, or 9A89. This is called a basic car area and includes everything between Mulholland and the 101, and Van Nuys Blvd and Coldwater Cyn. One of my many duties is neighborhood watch. This is a program to not only help you be safe, but also feel safe in your community.

This newsletter is a part of the neighborhood watch program that keeps you informed about happenings in your area. You may not receive an email every month, but you will receive one when something is happening that you need to be aware of. I may take opportunities to inform you of ways to keep yourself safe from crime, as well as talking about crimes being committed in the area.

Burglary From Motor Vehicle (BFMV) crimes remain the biggest problem in the East Sherman Oaks area. These crimes are easily prevented. Most BMFV's are crimes of opportunity. The badguy's walking down the street, sees something he wants in your car, smashes the window, and takes it. Don't leave anything in your car someone would want to take. Don't leave your laptop in the backseat. Don't leave CD's, cell phones, wallets, or even clothes. If you don't leave them in your car and I can pretty well guarantee no one will break in. Oh, and always, always, lock your cars.

Can we fire someone?

Maybe I'm being picky here, but this happens too much. I was reading a news story about a man who was shot in Sherman Oaks last week and then CBS2 grabbed a quote from a detective from the West Valley Station.

Wait a second, West Valley doesn't cover Sherman Oaks, Van Nuys does. So I look at the address of the block of the incident and lo and behold, it's Encino.

For heaven's sakes, the article is titled "Sherman Oaks Man Shot After Opening Door."