ENCINO, Calif. () Residents and community leaders of the affluent neighborhood of Encino gathered in front of Van Nuys City Hall on Thursday demanding action from city officials to address growing public safety concerns following recent break-ins and a double murder.
The meeting followed the recent killing of an “American Idol” music supervisor and her husband in July. A spokesperson for the show confirmed the deaths of Robin Kaye and her husband, Thomas Deluca, both 70. Officers were conducting a welfare check at a home in Encino when they found the two with gunshot wounds.
The LAPD has responded to the spike in crime by increasing patrols in the area.
Residents recently voiced their concerns at a community safety town hall, urging the mayor to take immediate action. They presented the city with action items, including increased law enforcement patrols, a reporting center that tracks crime in real-time, drone surveillance and automated license plate readers.
Meanwhile, the mayor’s office stated that the city has already implemented many of the demands and is working to enhance collaboration with the sheriff’s department’s burglary task force, citing a drop in homicides to the lowest in six years.
Adam Wright, an Encino resident, emphasized the urgency of the situation.
“We demand our elected officials to take immediate action … and enforce existing laws, clear the encampments,” Wright told local affiliate KTLA in Los Angeles.
affiliate KTLA contributed to this report.
