Locals laud police progress

In the eyes of 12-year-old Monique Perez, the difference between her Shalimar neighborhood just a few years ago and now is clear: “It’s peaceful.”

Nevermind the shooting of a 15-year-old girl just houses down last week, Monique said. She and parents in the Westside Costa Mesa neighborhood are resolute that the shooting was an exception to what has grown into an area where parents and kids can again walk the streets after dark.

Marking their point, just like every Tuesday now, Shalimar neighborhood parents and kids congregated at Shalimar Park at 6 p.m. to laugh, play and talk.

“Ten years ago, you didn’t walk anywhere,” said Effy Sanchez, a community leader in Shalimar whose kids grew up in the neighborhood.

“Before, five, 10 years ago you wouldn’t be in the park after 6 p.m. There were too many gangs, too many drugs.”

Tuesday marked the 25th annual National Night Out, a day when communities and police nationwide step out the front door, turn on the lights and get out into the community.

The event is a chance for neighbors to meet each other and network, for police to meet the residents they protect and for everyone to send a message to criminals that communities are organized against crime, authorities said.

“It’s important for [residents] to know that we’re here and we care about them,” Costa Mesa Police Chief Chris Shawkey said.

Cooperation between police and the neighborhoods has increased on the Westside in recent years, Sanchez and Shawkey said.

While the gang shooting last week was in their own backyard, Shalimar residents say the victim wasn’t from the neighborhood, nor the shooters.

“When you talk to some of the kids and ask ‘Where do you live?’ They say ‘Oh, on Placentia [Avenue]’ or ‘On Fairview [Road],’” Sanchez said. “They come here because their friends are here.”

If people think the shooting is an indication of things getting worse, the fact that three suspects were arrested for it Tuesday is a sign things are getting better, Shawkey said.

“The only way we can do that is with the cooperation of the community,” Shawkey said. “My detectives are in tune with the neighborhoods; they know who the gang members are. We’re on top of ’em.”

Not far away, on Federal Avenue just off of Victoria Avenue, another group of neighbors were barbecuing and splashing in a dunk tank for National Night Out. Ask Marilyn Watterson how police in the city do and she’ll say they’re great.

Watterson, who’s lived on the street since 1964, said that outside of the occasional car break-in, the neighborhood’s been quiet as long as she could remember.

Her husband, Miles, echoed that sentiment.

“In fact, if we hit the lottery we wouldn’t move away from here,” he said.

Over in Newport Beach, the National Night Out event was popular.

“It was a really big turnout,” Lt. Steve Koudelka said.

Police there invited the community to meet with them at Bonita Canyon Sports Park so they could showcase their K-9 unit, newly painted black-and-white squad cars and other tools they use to fight crime.

JOSEPH SERNA may be reached at (714) 966-4619 or at [email protected].