Echo Park

Security Association Newsletter

Fall 2009

Select Patrol Report EPSA Takes Part in National Night Out

By Darin Williams The 26th Annual National Night Out Against Crime took place on
Select Patrol Founder/President August 4, 2009. Echo Park Security Association volunteers and
Select Patrol officers were on hand to greet community members
The Essentials and promote our crime prevention efforts.
Last Sunday, my wife and I attend- National Night Out is a festive community event, but with a serious
ed a house-warming party for my purpose: To heighten awareness of crime and drug prevention
business manager, Cheryl Harmon.
activities; to generate support and participation in local anti-
A longtime Echo Park resident, Cheryl had opted for the
crime programs; to strengthen community spirit and police-
rural surroundings of Sylmar a few years ago. However,
just a few weeks before the Thanksgiving holiday last year, community partnerships; and to send a message to criminals
a wildfire swept down through the canyons and engulfed that neighborhoods are organ-
Cheryl’s neighborhood. Aside from a few personal memen- ized and fighting back.
tos which she had loaded into her car, all of Cheryl's pos- Approximately 15,000 com-
sessions were destroyed. Although she lost both her home
munities in all 50 states take
and nearly all that she had acquired in a lifetime, Cheryl
did manage to save her livelihood by backing up all of her part in National Night Out.
computer files to an offsite location. Cheryl is now in a new Echo Park’s event was held in
home in Sylmar just a few miles from the home she lost. the Walgreen’s parking lot on
continued on page 2 the corner of Sunset Blvd.
EPSA Volunteers and Echo Park Avenue, and
Attend LAPD Senior Lead Officer Summit included free cotton candy, a
children’s bouncer, free ham-
To strengthen ties with the local law enforcement community,
burgers with all the fixings
EPSA volunteers attended Senior Lead Officer (SLO) events for the
LAPD’s Northeast and Rampart Divisions at the end of July. (Echo grilled by Select Patrol staff,
Park north of Sunset falls within the Northeast Division, the area and colorful community booths.
south of Sunset is covered by Rampart.) The Northeast event took
place in Dodger Stadium, while the Rampart event was held in the
station’s brand-new community room. EPSA volunteers had the
chance to meet and hear from both of our local SLOs, Bob Hill
(Northeast) and Louis Ford (Rampart). Top: Echo Park resident and
EPSA supporter Joe Sandoval
and his grandson. Above:
Select Patrol officer Ed Aguerro.
Left: EPSA volunteer Susan
Borden at the EPSA booth

Holiday Bonus Time

Your Select Patrol officers work hard all year to help keep
your home and family safe. Please consider showing your
thanks this holiday season by including a bonus amount
EPSA volunteers (from left) Suzanne Kimbrough and Edna
Kam chatted with SLO Bob Hill at the Northeast Summit. with your quarterly payment.

EPSA w P.O. Box 26201 Los Angeles, CA 90026 w Tel: (323) 860-9914 w Email: epsa@echoparksecurity.org
Online: www.echoparksecurity.org
1
 Echo Park Security Association Newsletter
Community News & Safety Tips
No Phishing: Beware of text messaging scams, known as
“phishing,” in which you get a message supposedly from
your bank or credit card company saying that your account
is expiring and that you need to reactivate, either by click-
ing an included link or by calling an 800 telephone number.
When you respond, you are asked to provide passwords or
other personal information. Never share personal information
without first contacting your bank or financial institution
directly to make sure the request is legitimate.
Cell phones: We asked this in the last newsletter but it’s
still a problem: EPSA members are getting rid of their land
lines and using only their cell phones without updating our
records. We need your current phone number in order to
provide you with the level of service our members deserve.
Paying Your Dues: Please pay on time, at the beginning of
the quarter (or in advance). If you do have to cancel,
remember that past service must still be paid for. Over the
years we have lost a lot of money when members canceled
without bringing their accounts up to date. We hate to see
you go or move away, but if you must, please don’t leave
us in the lurch!
Vacations: Be sure to notify us when you go away so Sel-
ect Patrol can keep an eye on your empty house. And, make
sure we have your vacation or emergency contact number.
Report Graffiti: You know about dialing 3-1-1 to report
graffiti. Now you can also file a report online at:
www.anti-graffiti.lacity.org.
Block Coordinators Meeting: Volunteer Block Coordinators
meet four times a year, in January, March, June and
September, to discuss EPSA’s direction, problems, successes,
finances and future. All members are invited to attend.
Some of our best ideas have come from these meetings!
Call (323) 860-9914 for times and dates.
Holiday Precautions: The holiday season is always a
happy time of year for thieves. Please don’t drop any pre-
cautions and be sure to record the serial numbers of any
new electronic equipment you receive (directly on the
receipt is a suitable place).
Community Safety Meetings: All Echo Park residents are
invited to monthly Community Safety meetings, sponsored
by EPSA and attended by LAPD officers, Select Patrol offi-
cers and city representatives.
continued
EPSA w P.O. Box 26201 Los Angeles, CA 90026 w Tel: (323) 860-9914 w Email: epsa@echoparksecurity.org
Online: www.echoparksecurity.org
2
w Fall 2009
Select Patrol Report, continued
What if this happened to you or me? What would we need
to have in order to regain a foothold and carry on with our
lives?
In a CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) class
I attended a couple of years back, the instructor told us
that she loaded her family’s critical documents, including
Social Security cards, birth certificates and insurance policy
information, onto a thumb drive which she keeps with her at
all times. This is an excellent tool to access critical informa-
tion from virtually anywhere. It is also recommended that we
photograph and video the interiors of our homes and its
contents to have as a record of what we own.
Another issue of concern is family photographs. Regular
images may be backed up either through online photo
albums, or stored on disks offsite. The key with document
preservation is to have two or even three separate backup
systems working for you
Finally, it is a good idea to set aside an overnight kit with
personal care items and a change of clothes. Have these
items ready either in a closet or in the trunk of your car.
With your own needs taken care of you can focus on other
family members and of course your pets.
Your Guard,
Darin
]]]Tip: Calling 9-1-1 on Your Cell Phone]]]
In an emergency, dial 9-1-1. If you get
a recording instead of a live operator,
wait for the prompt and actually SAY
“Emergency” instead of pressing 1.
Not all wireless phones transmit num-
ber tones during a 911 call. You could
needlessly delay help getting to you.
(Information provided by Sprint)
Community News & Safety Tips, continued
We meet in the Edendale Library’s community room, 2011
W. Sunset Blvd., at 2:00 p.m. on the second Thursday of
the month. Upcoming meetings:
n October 8
n November 12
n (No meeting in December)
n January 14, 2010