Proactive philosophy

Marisa O’Neil

Costa Mesa Police Officer Doug Johnson popped his head into a 19th

Street storefront on the predominantly Latino Westside. A group of

men momentarily stiffened, not sure what to expect. In many of their

native countries, a visit from the police means bad news.

“Hi, how’s everything going?” he asked with a smile.

The men relaxed their stances, nodding and waving back.

“You see that?” he said as he continued along the storefronts in

the Vista Shopping Center. “Just saying ‘Hi’ helps change their

attitude.”

Johnson’s assignment, which is part of Chief John Hensley’s

community policing philosophy, is to check in with shop owners and

residents along the 19th Street and Placentia Avenue corridors. He

and fellow officer Kevin Fejeran are part of a special enforcement

detail that deals specifically and proactively with problems in that

area.

Going beyond just responding to service calls, the officers also

focus on finding the roots of problems. That means getting out of the

patrol car, walking through shopping centers and neighborhoods and

talking to people, some of whom might normally be leery of police.

One of Johnson’s regular stops is the Vista Coinless Laundry on

19th Street. Since Costa Mesa Police started their proactive

enforcement in the area, problems like illegal vendors peddling in

the center have lessened, Vista owner Mike McQueeney said.

“Community policing is a great thing,” McQueeney said. “The more

contact people have with the police, the more inclined they are to

call them when they have a problem. Police build better bonds by

being here.”

Taking the time to hear the concerns of people helps head off some

problems before they get too big to handle, Johnson said. Quality of

life issues -- like vendors selling food or merchandise illegally, or

homeless people drinking in an alley -- rank high on the list of

priorities for many people.

Citing vendors and taking their wares has helped curb that

problem, he said. Asking merchants to stop selling alcohol to people

who routinely drink in public and cause problems, has reduced -- but

not eliminated -- those issues.

“There are less pushcart vendors,” said City Councilman Allan

Mansoor who lives on the Westside. “There’s been a noticeable

reduction in noise and trash. It’s certainly not perfect, but it’s

better than it was.”

The community policing concept is far different from Johnson’s

other role on the SWAT team and from the traditional police

philosophy that was in place when his grandfather, Sam Arnold, was a

Costa Mesa Police officer. Arnold, who died in 2001, wore serial No.

1 on his badge.

Back then, police responded to a call, handled it quickly and made

themselves available for the next one, Johnson said.

Community policing means taking a little extra time on a call, if

needed, and handing out business cards to encourage people to contact

police when something happens.

“Officers don’t have to change their policing,” Johnson said.

“It’s still enforcement. All [community policing] asks for is an

extra five minutes.”

That extra five minutes, he said, can help produce a solution that

prevents future, repeat calls to the same location.

Hensley brought the idea to the department when he took over in

June of last year, and the City Council voted in November to endorse

Hensley’s plan.

“The chief’s philosophy is forming a partnership, with the

community, police, fire, city services all acting as a team, treating

a problem at root of it,” Sgt. Marty Carver said.

Officers now have set hours on set beats to give them a sense of

ownership and responsibility in their areas, Carver said. That gives

people, like El Metate Market manager Eduardo Covarrubias, daily

contact with police and lets them know where to find help when they

need it.

“It’s cleaner and safer here,” Covarrubias said of the Westside.

“[Police have] contributed a lot. They’re here when we need them.”

“And when we don’t,” he added with a laugh.

* MARISA O’NEIL covers public safety and courts. She may be

reached at (949) 574-4268 or by e-mail at [email protected].