MAYOR HAHN ANNOUNCES RESULTS OF
ILLEGAL DUMPING SURVEILLANCE OPERATION
TeamWork LA initiative results in 59 arrests to date

May 14, 2003

WATTS...Mayor Jim Hahn today announced that the Bureau of Street Services has arrested 59 people to date for illegally dumping couches, televisions, mattresses, and other trash in neighborhood alleys and on local streets. The announcement followed three months of ongoing surveillance operations conducted by the Bureau of Street Services to stop illegal dumpers.

"Illegal dumping in our alleys and on our streets not only contributes to neighborhood blight, but poses a danger to public safety. Illegally dumped trash can block the path of emergency vehicles, slowing them down in responding to emergencies," said Mayor Hahn at an alley near the 11000 block of Graham Avenue in Watts where illegal dumping has been a problem.

"Today we are sending a message to would-be-dumpers that dumping in LA is a crime and violators will be caught and prosecuted," said Councilwoman Janice Hahn. "We are now impounding vehicles involved in prostitution and we will soon be doing the same to cars used in dumping. Together, we are letting people know that dumping is no longer tolerated in Los Angeles."

Los Angeles Police Department representatives raised the illegal dumping issue at a TeamWork LA Cabinet meeting. LAPD requested assistance with cleaning up and stopping illegal dumping, noting that trash was preventing officers from patrolling some alleys and that some officers had been injured because of illegally dumped trash that interfered during officer foot pursuits of criminals.

Bureau of Street Services Street Use Inspectors initiated surveillances at chronic dump locations and began arresting individuals who were caught dumping their trash on public streets, alleys, and right of ways. Many of the 59 people that have been arrested for illegal dumping were violating parole for more serious offenses.

"A new energy has been infused into our efforts to eradicate illegal dumping, graffiti and blight in Los Angeles since Mayor Hahn took up the issue and created TeamWork LA," said Bureau of Street Services Director Bill Robertson. "His initiative brings together representatives from the Mayor's Office and other city departments to solve these neighborhood problems. Now, everyone knows that illegal dumping is, besides being a blight on the community, a serious health and safety hazard."

"Having the TeamWork LA initiative has helped the LAPD improve the quality of life in the city by working closely with other city departments," said LAPD Commanding Officer of the Southeast Division Captain Terry Hara. "Through TeamWork LA, quality of life issues and public safety problems get addressed quickly. And our officers have less locations where illegal dumping would slow down their response time to emergencies."

"I am pleased that TeamWork LA has found another commonsense solution to a neighborhood problem," Mayor Hahn added.

Illegal dumping has long plagued Los Angeles neighborhoods. Since July 2002, over 123,000 cubic yards of debris has been collected in South Los Angeles, which accounts for over half of the illegal debris collected citywide during that time. The total amount of debris collected citywide was approximately 245,000 cubic yards.

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Angie Levine
Office of Mayor James K. Hahn
200 North Spring Street
Los Angeles, 90012

213 / 978-0741 phone
213 / 978-0576 fax
alevine@mayor.lacity.org