L.A. moves to hire private security for ‘graffiti towers,’ other hazardous buildings to relieve LAPD

“[The] LAPD is a trained, professional police force,” L.A. Councilmember Kevin de Leon said. “They are there to protect and serve the city of LA, not to protect and babysit buildings”

April 03, 2024 12:12 PM

High Rise Graffiti Los Angeles — An unfinished high-rise development in the downtown entertainment district that has become the target of graffiti taggers who have struck dozens of floors is seen in Los Angeles on Friday, Feb. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

By Joanna Putman
Police1

LOS ANGELES — The city of Los Angeles has opted to hire private security guards to patrol “graffiti towers” that have become an expensive crime nexus, NBC Los Angeles reported.

The city council voted unanimously on April 2 to update LA’s building standards enforcement, according to the report. The updates will allow the city to hire private security firms to monitor buildings that have become “a present, imminent, extreme and immediate hazard or danger to life or limb, health and safety.” The owners of those properties would be required to reimburse the city for the cost of the private patrols.

The “graffiti towers” at Oceanwide Plaza have become a hot spot for various types of crime and a drain on LAPD resources, according to the report.

“[The] LAPD is a trained, professional police force,” Councilmember Kevin de Leon said. “They are there to protect and serve the city of LA, not to protect and babysit buildings.”