A Los Angeles Police Department deputy chief vowed Monday to crack down on those who illegally dump refuse on public streets and alleys in South Los Angeles.
Deputy Chief Kenneth O. Garner, who oversees the department's South Bureau, said that his officers would be launching a task force later this month with investigators from the city's Public Works Department. The goal, he said, is to target the area's worst alleys with surveillance teams, make arrests and impound vehicles used to transport refuse dumped on public property.
Half the city's illegally dumped rubbish is in South L.A., contributing to decay in neighborhoods that for years have been hit hard by crime and poverty.
In an interview, Garner acknowledged that people have dumped trash in public byways with virtual impunity for far too long. Violators have become so brazen, he said, that they even discard refuse in the middle of the day.
"Right now, they are not fearful of law enforcement," Garner said. "It's time for us to take a strong stand."
Documenting the problem with videos and photographs, The Times reported in June that refuse -- including dead animals -- festered for weeks in South L.A. alleys and that illegal-dumping arrests by public works investigators had dropped from 359 in 2002 to three by the end of June this year.
The department's investigators have primary responsibility for policing the city's 800 miles of alleys.
A review ordered by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in response to The Times' report concluded that enforcement by the LAPD had also declined in recent years.
The review, compiled by the Public Works Department, found that an LAPD program in the mid-1990s was successful in curtailing illegal dumping.
But that effort, according to the report, became a "low priority" for the LAPD as it focused on more violent crime.
As a result, public works investigators were left to make misdemeanor arrests and issue administrative citations using state and local codes that prohibit dumping refuse on public property.
"Traditional code enforcement did not make the same impact as LAPD's aggressive apprehension program," the report said.
Public works investigators say their efforts also have been hampered by budget cuts in recent years, which have resulted in less money to pay for surveillance operations.
City Councilwoman Janice Hahn has called for the LAPD to explore ways that it can become more aggressive against illegal dumping.
