From a block away, an unmarked police cruiser shadowed a dump truck as it turned onto a dark street in South Los Angeles.
Shawn Massey, a veteran officer with the Los Angeles Police Department, wheeled his vehicle onto a parallel street and darted into an alley connecting the two roadways. Shutting off his headlights, he and his partner waited for the dump truck to pass.
The two officers were part of a city task force formed to crack down on people who illegally dump refuse in neighborhoods south of the Santa Monica Freeway.
The task force includes city prosecutors and about a dozen LAPD officers and investigators from the Bureau of Street Services. Officials say it's one of the most aggressive law enforcement efforts in a decade targeting illegal dumping.
"We want to get the word out to the public that we're serious about this," LAPD Deputy Chief Kenneth O. Garner told task force members as they prepared for their first operation last month.
The operation was launched after The Times reported in June that violators freely dumped trash in South L.A. alleys, where the refuse -- sometimes including dead animals -- festered for weeks before being removed. The newspaper documented the problem in videos and photographs.
The effort represents a change in strategy for the city. In the mid-1990s, the LAPD conducted similar patrols but cut back in recent years so officers could focus more on violent crime. Policing alleys was left largely to street services investigators, who have authority to make misdemeanor arrests if they catch someone dumping. But because those investigators are unarmed, they tended to steer clear of some of the toughest neighborhoods unless they have a police escort. Arrests dropped from 359 in 2002 to seven so far this year.
As arrests declined, investigators turned to issuing more administrative citations to people implicated by evidence found in the rubbish. In such instances, "we have reason to believe you were involved -- either you did it or maybe know who did it," said Gary Harris, who oversees street services investigators.
Suspected violators are summoned to a hearing in which the city tries to recoup investigation and cleanup costs.
The suspects, however, are not legally compelled to attend the hearings or pay the city any money, officials acknowledge. In fact, the city has recouped $5,300 from the more than 2,000 citations issued so far this year.
