For those living in Fremont Place, Brookside, Windsor Village, Sycamore Square and Wilshire Vista – take note. There’s a new Senior Lead Officer (SLO) on your streets fighting crime and building community.
Officer Hebel Rodriguez started this week as the SLO for LAPD car 7A47, the area from Wilshire south to Venice, and from  Mansfield/Redondo east to Crenshaw. It’s familiar territory for Rodriguez, however,  as he subbed in the area for former SLO Ruben Gonzalez for a month in 2011 and knows the beat well. Gonzalez has been a patrol officer in Wilshire Division for 12 1/2 years of his 14 years on the force.
Born in Cuba, Â Rodriguez came to the states with his family when he was only six years old and he has a stunning sinking-ship story to share about that time. He was raised in Huntington Park and graduated from Cal State Long Beach before joining the LAPD. “Everything that has come my way has come through hard work, but could also never have been possible without the wonderful opportunities this country has to offer,” he told the Larchmont Buzz in an interview at Harold Henry Park. “I love this nation.”
A couple of tips from the newest SLO in the area? Of course call 911 in an emergency. If you know you need the LAPD to come to your home or to check out a non-emergency situation, call the LAPD Communications Division direct at 213-928-8223. They dispatch patrol cars and the sooner you get your incident or request on the log, the sooner you’ll see an LAPD patrolman at your door.
Another tip: sign up for E-Policing online so that you’ll get regular email reports from your Senior Lead Officer about crime specific to your neighborhood.
Rodriguez has a passion for classic cars, and is currently refurbishing a 1965 Fastback Mustang. Perhaps when it’s done, he’ll forgo the police cruiser one day and cruise our streets in the Mustang.
For residents living in the area (see map below) Gonzales can be reached via email at [email protected], on his cell at 213-793-0715 or via Wilshire Division front desk at 213-473-0476.
