Published Aug 29, 2007
OK, let me lead this one off by clarifying. I often joke that I live in the ghetto; at the same time, I’ve never felt unsafe in my neighborhood. Everyone’s nice. That said, there’s either a high-speed chase going right by here or an LAPD chopper hovering over here once a month. And what do I ever hear about it? It’s not in the LA Times (they only have a blog to cover murders, and even that’s a day behind), it’s not on KCAL 9. But, gosh, it seems to be important enough at the moment, given the number of sirens I hear and what I imagine is the cost of keeping a chopper in the air.
So, why isn’t there a source for news about what’s going on in my neighborhood? I’m sure that news choppers are often up there following the chase, it’s just that the newsroom doesn’t feel like putting it on. Why not let me watch streaming video online or something? Or, the LAPD could have a blog with officers’ reports — names and addresses redacted, of course — that told people about what was happening in each division.
Now, let’s not get bogged down in technicalities. Sure, there are legal issues, but, hey, this is supposed to be about being a community. Letting me keep up on things would let me help! Or at least be nosy. At any rate, this is what I want. So, how do we get it done? And why isn’t it already done?
Seriously, I need to know if I really needed to lock my door when the hovering LAPD chopper sent its spotlight beam into my driveway earlier this evening. ‘Cause I would’ve rather been out there watching the show!