Community Policing / Canoga Park, West Hills

THE PROGRAM: The Los Angeles Police Department has assigned 31 officers to full-time community relations duty in the San Fernando Valley. The officers, who in the past spent only a few hours a month on such duty, now work full-time with neighborhood organizations and individuals. One of the 31 areas is described below:

THE OFFICER: Dan Elefante, Devonshire Division, (818) 908-4011

THE AREA: Elefante patrols much of Canoga Park and West Hills, with slices of Northridge and Chatsworth. His beat includes predominantly middle-class houses with a sprinkling of apartment complexes and some industrial and commercial areas. The major problems are auto thefts and burglaries from vehicles. “We don’t have much gang activity,” he says. “But we have some just south of us that spills over.”