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Published on 02/02/1998 All articles from this issue

Police presence working

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By Linda Taaffe

Town Crier Staff Writer

Officers build good relations with Los Altos High students, spur decrease in crime

If a police car pulled into the Los Altos High School parking lot a few years ago, chances are there was a problem. Apparently, that's changed. The school and the Los Altos and Mountain View police departments have joined together to reduce campus problems by building a positive relationship with each other and the students.

Police and school officials say the joint effort is working at Los Altos High. Since adding a gang officer position to the Mountain View department in 1995, adding a schools resource officer to the Los Altos department and launching several awareness programs, gang violence has decreased 70 percent in the past year, there's less incidence of graffiti, fewer students arriving intoxicated at dances and fewer problems overall, officials say.

"The community's perception had changed. Neighbors see a police car at the school several times a week and know (the officers) are just visiting. We really wanted a positive police presence, not just someone there when there were problems. Kids really have a different feel for the officers, too," said Wynne Satterwhite, assistant principal at Los Altos.

As schools resource officer, Brent Butler visits the high school at least twice a week "just to hang out" with the students or to check in with school staff.

Butler said he's able to get to know the students and find out what's going on in their lives through his visits.

"I get to know the players and address issues before they happen," Butler said.

"We all work together very well so there's no secrets, no anonymity. We all know what's going on and no one gets away with anything."

He said the school staff informs him of problems and of at-risk students. Kids also give him tips. After students complained about several of their peers going to school dances drunk, for example, the school and the police department set up a breathalyzer machine at dances and reduced the problem, Butler said.

During a visit at the high school last week, students flocked around Butler, chatting with him about everything from their weekend plans to the weather.

"I don't really notice him, but it's nice to have him around. I definitely feeler safer," said Los Altos senior Lauren Miller about Butler being on campus. "At dances, he keeps things under control."

Michael Ecdao, gang officer for the Mountain View Police Department, also knows the students at Los Altos High. Ecdao said students may go to school in Los Altos, but many live in Mountain View.

Ecdao was named gang officer in the police department's investigative services division four years ago when the gang problem in Mountain View was "real bad," he said.

Ecdao said there were numerous assaults, drive-by shootings and up to 50 gang members hanging out on street corners at any given time.

"We're all over the place, negative and positive," he said about the two police departments. "Our job is to put out 'little fires' and say on top of (the gang problem). We're the excuse for students to stop."

Ecdao said the school campus is 99.9 percent safe, but describes the gang problem as a continuous cycle. He said people are fooling themselves if they think no one at Los Altos is in a gang.

"Things build up. There're peaks and valleys. No one can predict how fast the 'pressure cooker' will heat up," Ecdao said about gang rivalries. "It's important to understand we have a problem - it's just not surfacing right now."

Butler said he has been called to the school about six times this school year. He recalled only one occurrence that involved violence. The October incident centered on a fight on the basketball courts between a group of students. Five students were suspendedand a sixth was arrested and expelled after brandishing a screwdriver.

"In the beginning of the school year, it's a given that a fight will break out. There's a lot of pushing in the halls, freshmen trying to prove themselves," Butler said. "It's mellowing out pretty much."

He said the biggest issue this year has been kids smoking behind the school.

Ecdao said straight enforcement and prevention are part of the strategy. He said the police keep street corners clear and the school enforces zero tolerance for violence or wearing bandannas. Police and school officials also educate parents about what to watch - clothing, trends, talk, signals.

Satterwhite said many parents aren't aware that there are gang issues in Los Altos.

"What kids say is often different than what really goes on at school," Satterwhite said. "We keep parents in touch, let them know how to get support."

Los Altos Police Chief Lucy Carlton said educational programs are another successful part of the police-schools collaboration.

The department sponsors various programs from Drug Abuse Resistance Education classes at local elementary schools to traffic safety classes at the high school, in which students check with radar the speeds of passing cars and decide if a police officer should pull over and ticket speeding motorists. The department also promotes classes to students caught breaking the law in lieu of court-mandated punishments.

"Officers in the programs are in contact with kids at a young age and develop long-term relationships with many of them," Carlton said. "It's less threatening when we do need to go out to the schools."