I read with interest the letter regarding the insensitivity of Malibu Towing and the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department during last Sunday’s Avon Breast Cancer Walk. Putting the blame on Malibu Tow is not fair, as they are just a contract towing business, but the actions of the Sheriff’s Department in having Malibu Towing Service tow away cars from all these people who came to meet and greet the courageous people who walked 60 miles for such as good cause, is just another example of why Malibu should have its own police department.
The L.A. Sheriffs get an A for crime prevention in our city, but a big F when it comes to being sensitive and responsive to the needs of Malibu’s residents. Some other examples:
1. The constant buzzing and hovering of the LAPD helicopter from Memorial Day to Labor Day over our beachside houses. Zuma and Westward Beach already have its many sheriff’s deputies and horses doing their best to keep our public beaches safe, but it seems the main purpose for the helicopter is for catching people in the horrible act of nude sunbathing. We need to spend that kind of money for that?
2. Their utter lack of concern to our residents needs many times when there is a reason that PCH is partially blocked due to an accident, movie shoot, special event, etc. Getting traffic flowing again in a hurry through a detour, reversing a lane, etc. never seems to be high enough on their list of priorities. And where are they when a traffic light happens to malfunction?
3. Their general bad attitude towards Malibu residents trying to get to their home or their children during flood and fire disasters that result in roadblocks on PCH.
The lack of a parking and traffic flow plan for last Sunday’s walk was a disaster that caused havoc and unbelievable traffic delays in West Malibu last Sunday. The sheriffs had no excuse for not knowing how many people would show up, as the amount of people to expect was known three days before, when they started walking from Santa Barbara. Knowing that all of these participants had people meeting them and helping pick up their luggage was not a secret either. No signage or traffic control officers to tell people where to park when Zuma got full, not enough officers on the highway at the intersections to keep the flow going, and no plan for how people could pick up their luggage caused unconscionable delays and inconvenience for the March participants, Malibu residents, and people who were simply trying to drive through Malibu that Sunday on the way to somewhere.
Having the largest police agency in California occupying our small city just doesn’t seem to work best for our residents. Let us investigate getting the CHP back on our highways for traffic safety, and form our own Malibu Police Department for everything else.
The benefits of having our police department headquartered in Malibu, and not have officers drive back and forth to Lost Hills twice a day, and having the same officers here every day so they can be an integral part of the community would be tremendous. And using the money spent on the helicopter patrol would probably go a long way towards making this a financially feasible plan.
Andy Cohen