The C-PABs can ensure an element of safety in all the Neighborhood Councils

Input from the 18 Community-Police Advisory Boards (each of the 18 local LAPD Divisions has a C-PAB) should be included in the now rapidly emerging Neighborhood Councils.

At least that's the opinion of Ms Claudia Dunn, Assistant Director of the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment (DONE), charged with overseeing the Neighborhood Council certification process.

We wholeheartedly agree. It's a natural partnership.

Mission of DONE

In a presentation during the Annual C-PAB Summit in March, Claudia explained the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment seeks to promote public participation in government, and make government more responsive to local needs, by facilitating the creation of Neighborhood Councils throughout the City of Los Angeles.

Not only will DONE help establish these Neighborhood Councils but it will also offer education, training and support to Neighborhood Councils once they are certified.

The goal is to make each Neighborhood Council as independent as possible from government, and to give them influence to affect Citywide and local decision-making far beyond what neighborhood groups have now. DONE seeks to help the residents of each community form a valid and influential base, truly empowered to guide the futures of their neighborhoods.

Membership in a Neighborhood Council is inclusive ... a "stakeholder" is defined as anyone who lives, works or owns property in an area ... and all stakeholders may join and participate in their local Neighborhood Councils.

Mission of C-PAB

NOTE: If you don't know about LAPD's Community-Police Advisory Boards (C-PABs) and how they function please take the short community policing tutorial "CP Tutorial" on the site.

The C-PABs act as liaisons with LAPD, meeting monthly with the Area Commanders in each of the 18 local LAPD Divisions. Each C-PAB is Co-chaired by the LAPD Captain of the Division and a civilian.

They already exist.

The Community-Police Advisory Board groups are themselves essentially comprised of inclusive and engaged individuals from each of the neighborhoods. Members regularly bring official and current information from LAPD to their local communities, and at the same time serve as a conduit by which the community can express its concerns to the Department.

Synergy between the two

Exactly what relationship the Division's C-PAB might have with the local Neighborhood Councils will have to be established by each body, since each of the over 100 Neighborhood Councils now being considered for certification has been charged with the responsibility to create itself, within certain guidelines, to meet the perceived needs of the stakeholders from the local area.

But there's no doubt that every neighborhood will seek crime suppression and public safety as one of its primary goals, along with the reduction of fear and an improved quality of life.

As the Councils form some may well create a Board Seat dedicated to these concerns, while others may envision "Safety Committees" or liaison positions as more appropriate.

But are the C-PABs ready?

Many Neighborhood Councils will, at a minimum, invite regular input from stakeholders who are already participating members of Community-Police Advisory Boards.

But will the C-PABs be ready?

Los Angeles Community Policing emphatically says, "Yes!" and we agree with Claudia when she suggests our C-PAB members should form strong relationships with our local Neighborhood Councils, in which, by definition, we are stakeholders.

She supports this for any number of reasons.

C-PABs are already working with law enforcement to deal with issues that affect the causes and proliferation of crime through active participation in smaller communities within each Division.

We regularly seek crime suppression and fear reduction solutions by collaborating with Problem-Solving Units, Senior Lead Officers, Neighborhood Watch and Business Watch programs, SARA projects, etc.

C-PABs understand that to improve the quality of life it's often necessary to promote the use of a variety of City service programs outside of LAPD, knowing it frequently takes a collaboration with the many and various Departments within City government.

C-PAB members can help the Neighborhood Councils understand that issues about improving the quality of life do not always imply public safety solutions.

We already have Goal Statements and By-laws which essentially say: We take responsibility for our neighborhoods (within each of the 18 LAPD Divisions).

We understand and accept the premise that the communities need to take a large measure of responsibility for their neighborhoods and for creating improvement strategies.

Claudia says this "can only really occur by virtue of a neighborhood lobbying power base … another way to describe community-based government !"

Again, we agree ...

The early establishment of a strong relationship between C-PABs and Certified Neighborhood Councils is important precisely because C-PAB members are already knowledgeable. We can immediately play an effective, significant and informed role by participating with each emerging Neighborhood Council, whose stakeholders form such a large power base, and include representatives from all groups: residents, workers, businesses, and youth.

Every stakeholder group in a Neighborhood Council has a voice, and now, with C-PAB's help, the public safety voice ... and the voice for improving the quality of life ... can truly be heard !