Commander Richard Rocchi addresses residents as his patrol resource officers look on. Photo by Sarah Bennett.
Less than 24 hours after a suspected gang member shot at a police officer, prompting the evacuation of residents along 8th St. near Maine Ave., the Willmore City Heritage Association held its monthly meeting on Tuesday night at Drake Park, just a few blocks away.
There, a standing-room only crowd listened as Long Beach Police Department West Division Commander Richard Rocchi and 1st District Councilmember Robert Garcia addressed the increase in violence they say the neighborhood has seen since the beginning of the year, asking for the public’s help in solving crimes and announcing the installation of cameras at active Drake Park.
Though the timing feels most appropriate given the spike in shootings in the blocks surrounding the park, the cameras have actually been in planning for three to four months and are being installed with 1st District infrastructure funds. A project initiated at the request of several neighborhood groups, the six permanent cameras will keep a virtual eye on Drake Park, allowing footage to be recorded and available if needed through the LBCOP system that links cameras to LBPD’s communication center.
“I understand that some people don’t feel comfortable with cameras in public spaces like this, but I think it is really important for the nieghborhood and the area,” Garcia said. “It is just another tool for the police department to use to keep an eye on the park and the community.”
The City has already approved the use of funds for the cameras and they should be installed soon. The news comes as a rash of graffiti and gang activity has swept the oldest part of the city, which many residents say was quiet just a few years ago. Police belive that the increased tagging is connected to the violence of recent months with Garcia attributing it to people who have moved into the area and are “not welcome in the community.”
“Some of you may remember how bad this neighborhood was in terms of gang problems 10 to 15 years ago,” said Rocchi, who took over the newly consolidated West Division in December. “And though things are much better now, there are still ongoing issues we are aware of.”
Rocchi cites three January shootings as the beginning of a violence spike that has culminated in the last week with the March 13 double shooting that left one dead at 8th and Maine and Monday’s officer-involved shooting on the same block in which the suspect who fired on officers got away. Three suspects were arrested for the January shootings, Rocchi said, but the police department has no leads on either of the more recent shootings and is asking for the public’s help.
“With that many rounds fired and the fact that the suspect ran into an apartment complex, we are confident that someone saw something,” Rocci said. “No information is too small. Who knows? It could be the missing piece of the puzzle or something that takes us in a whole new direction. I can’t stress enough how much we need your help.”
Read more:
- UPDATED: Suspect Still at Large In Officer-Involved Shooting Near 8th and Maine
- One Dead, One Injured In Possible Gang Related Shooting
- LBCOP Connects Cameras, Local Businesses in Fighting Crime
- OP-ED: Are New Surveillance Cameras in Long Beach Good News?
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