The Los Angeles Police Department Vice Unit has arrested seven juveniles and one adult this month for alcohol violations and illegal drug use in Pacific Palisades. This follows 14 arrests in September for similar illegal activity at the Mobil station, corner of Sunset and Swarthmore. On October 4, a 21-year-old male and an underage male were observed drinking alcohol in the parking lot behind the Mobil station. Both live in the Palisades. The adult was charged for drinking in a public place, the minor was cited for underage drinking. On October 10, five youths were arrested for possession of marijuana and a sixth was charged with dealing. The drug activity was first observed in the Mobil station area at 3 p.m. A 17-year-old female Palisades resident was followed and arrested at Via de la Paz and Sunset. Evidence found on the girl included a scale, grinder and ‘pay and owe’ sheets. She had previously been arrested for drinking in public. The other five youths, all males from outside the Palisades, drove from the Mobil station to the Palisades Charter High School parking lot, where they were arrested for possession of marijuana and paraphernalia. The youngest was 14, joined by two 16-year-olds, a 17- and an 18-year-old. The youth told police that they thought it was okay to buy the marijuana because it was sold to them by a person who had a medical marijuana card. LAPD Vice Unit member Ronald Crump told the Palisadian-Post that since the federal courts have not ruled on the legality of medical marijuana, selling and possession is still a crime. (The Supreme Court ruled in Raich v. Gonzales in 2005 that the federal government can prosecute medical marijuana patients. Several medical marijuana dispensaries in California have since been subject to drug raids.) In addition to the arrests made in conjunction with illegal activity at the Mobil station, the vice unit has also learned about similar activity at other Palisades locations. ‘We’ve been disappointed that no one initiated mobilization from the community,’ Crump said, referring to the Post’s September 29 front-page story on about the arrests. ‘I received no calls. I was disappointed there wasn’t a response from anybody. Even the Palisades Community Council never called to ask us for advice.’ In the article, LAPD asked the Community Council’s assistance ‘in taking a stand against the Mobil station’s practice of selling alcohol to minors as well as allowing the property to be used as a haven for minors to consume alcoholic beverages and narcotics.’ In addition, Crump complained that Palisades Patrol and Bel-Air/ADT Patrol (the local private security companies) haven’t provided help. ‘They know more of the kids than we do,’ he said. ‘We were unaware they wanted our help,’ Palisades Patrol CEO Scott Wagenseller told the Post this week. ‘We’d like to assist LAPD in any possible way.’ Bel-Air Patrol’s Mike Ball was on vacation and unavailable for comment. Crump also wants Palisades parents, residents and business owners to become more responsible and proactive in responding to illegal activity by the town’s youth and not to ignore lawbreaking (as he writes in an Opinion piece, page 2). ‘There should be zero tolerance from the community,’ Crump said. ‘We’re not the moral police. It is the community’s responsibility to change the trends and norms of behavior: what is accepted and what’s not. ‘We’re [the vice unit] not going to waver in right and wrong,’ Crump emphasized, and he urged residents ‘to create a community consensus that clearly states that drug use and underage alcohol consumption are illegal, unhealthy and unacceptable.’ Anyone who wants to report criminal activity such as underage drinking or the use or sale of narcotics can call the LAPD Vice Unit at (310) 444-1514 or e-mail 33383@LAPD.LACITY.ORG. Or, contact Palisades Senior Lead Officer Michael Moore at (310) 444-0737.
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