Homeowners in Los Angeles are locked in a battle with city officials over the removal of their private security measures, which they claim have successfully deterred criminals. These residents argue that their efforts have helped curb crime in the area.

In the Valley Glen neighborhood of the San Fernando Valley, locals have installed 22 warning signs, infrared license plate readers, and surveillance cameras in response to a series of burglaries attributed to South American gangs.

Debbie Stopeck shared with the California Post that between November 2024 and April 2025, there were 26 break-in incidents. However, the crime spree halted once the security devices were put in place.

The 65-year-old retiree expressed, “We are reclaiming our neighborhood and our sense of security. Last year, a neighbor’s teenage daughter was terrified to attend school after their home was burglarized and everything was taken.”

“Now, children feel safe playing outside,” she continued. “We experienced a drastic drop in crime from 2025 to none, thanks to the installation of these cameras and signs.”

“These are safety signs for the public, warning potential criminals that they are being monitored when they enter our community,” she added.

“The criminals need to know they’re under surveillance when they come into our neighborhood. The signs make them think twice.”

But nit-picking local officials with the LA Department of Transportation have told residents the signs installed on city utility poles break city codes and are illegal.

Stopeck told the Post that LA Mayor Karen Bass and California Governor Gavin Newsom ought to step in and help.

She said: “I would love to hear from Bass or Newsom, but I haven’t heard from anybody yet. I would tell them how I solved the problem.

“I worked for 36 years for the state of California and I was a problem solver.” Bass, said Stopek, should provide exemptions for the signs.

Local city council member for the district, Adrin Nazarian, visited with Stopeck at her home on Friday and in an earlier statement said: “I love the proactive community engagement I’m seeing in neighborhoods like this, and I appreciate the initiative these neighbors have taken to protect their community.

“We’ll be working with the Department of Transportation and community members to make sure that signage is displayed in the manner most appropriate to ensure public safety.”

Nazarian told Stopeck he would try to find a “workable solution.”

She said LAPD officials told her gangs from Colombia and Chile were responsible for the staggering number of break-ins in the area.

The criminals had also been stealing car license plates and breaking into vehicles. “We don’t have that anymore,” she continued.

Residents pay several thousand dollars a year for three licence plate readers and three live-feed cameras which works out to be roughly $220 per year for each family.

The data collected on suspicious vehicles is shared with LAPD. “The cameras are an investment,” said Stopek. “My neighbors feel they are worthy and obviously make a huge difference.

“I’ve lived in the same house all my life. I played here as a kid. I want my street to be safe for neighbors who have children to play without fear of being robbed.

“The camera and the signs have united our streets. “The city can’t protect us. People voted with the whole Me Too movement and the Black Lives Matter movement to defund the police.

“That resulted in a wave throughout the San Fernando Valley as well as Santa Monica, Culver City, Westwood and Beverly Hills.

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“One of my neighbors was robbed in February last year but LAPD still hasn’t responded. “She can’t even get anybody to answer her emails. They are understaffed. “I worked for a law firm that had more people than that.”

The Post has reached out to Los Angeles Department of Transportation for comment.