SUN VALLEY : Business Watch Sets First Meeting

Los Angeles police and the Sun Valley Area Chamber of Commerce are organizing a Sun Valley Business Watch to help merchants combat crime.

The group’s first meeting is scheduled for noon Jan. 31 in the chamber’s office in the Sun Valley Community Center, 8128 Sunland Blvd., said Doriane Parker, the chamber president.

“We’re kind of striking while the iron is hot,� Parker said.

She said police and chamber officials hope to organize the business watch now that the area has begun to develop a sense of community.

Sun Valley last year became a site for the Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative through which federal funds are allocated to improve the community.

“It seems like they’re caring more about their community,� Parker said of residents and business owners. A business watch could be a natural outgrowth of that sense of community, she said.

Business watches work the same way as a neighborhood watch, said Officer John Caprarelli, a senior lead officer with the LAPD’s North Hollywood Division, which oversees much of Sun Valley.

“You work together watching out for suspicious people,� said Caprarelli. Businesses can let each other know about a potential problem through a network of phone contacts. With monthly--or even more frequent--meetings, police can let businesses know about problems like burglaries, distribute descriptions of potential suspects or give other advice.

Other business watches have been organized along Sepulveda Boulevard in North Hills and in the Sunland-Tujunga area.

Small business watches targeting simply an intersection or a particular strip mall are scattered throughout the San Fernando Valley, Caprarelli said.

The Jan. 31 meeting is open to any business in the Sun Valley area, Parker said.