The LAPD Olympic Community Police Station shared this monthly report with the Larchmont Buzz. LAPD-Olympic serves 6.26 square miles of the greater Koreatown area, the Byzantine Pico corridor, and portions of the Hancock Park and Larchmont neighborhoods.
Captains Vito Palazzolo and Dave Storaker are the commanding officers of Olympic Division, overseeing nearly 270Â officers.
Summer is here and that means vacation, barbecues and enjoying the season. It also means warm weather and the temptation to leave windows and doors open to ventilate our houses. Unfortunately, many opportunistic thieves look forward to this easy access into our homes, where they can steal our hard earned property. Olympic Area personnel would like to remind everyone to please keep this in mind, and never leave your homes unsecured with open windows or doors.
The same approach should always be taken with your cars as well. Remember to always lock and secure your vehicles, and keep any possessions that you have inside your vehicle out of view. Secure any item, of even minimal value, in the trunk of your car. Auto-related break-ins are up over 30% year to date in Olympic, and we all must remain vigilant to protect against such crimes!
Speaking of cars, please remember to never leave your child or pet unattended in a vehicle during these warm summer months. The temperature rises rapidly in your vehicle, and it can take only moments for an unattended child or pet to suffer severe injury or even death.
We would also like to take a moment to introduce and welcome our newest Patrol Captain, Captain Dave Storaker and to say farewell to Captain Jonathan Tippet. Captain Tippet leaves us to assume the Patrol Commanding Officer position at Pacific Division and we wish him the best of luck in his new assignment!
Captain Storaker spent much of his childhood in the San Fernando Valley where he graduated from James Monroe High School in North Hills. From there, he graduated from UCLA and entered the Los Angeles Police Academy in the summer of 1983.
As an officer, Captain Storaker was assigned to patrol, CRASH, and a foot beat. He also trained probationary officers and wrote Office of Operations Orders. In 1991, he was promoted to Sergeant and assigned to Newton Area, North Hollywood Area, Personnel Division, Internal Affairs Group, and the Inspector General’s Office.
In 2000, he was promoted to Lieutenant where he served as a watch commander, an officer in charge of gang and narcotic intervention and enforcement, a Commanding Officer in charge of Detectives, and the adjutant to the Chief of Detectives.
In 2014, the Chief of Police promoted Dave Storaker to the rank of Captain and he was initially assigned to Hollywood Area as the Patrol Commanding Officer. Captain Storaker has spent over 31 years in the Los Angeles Police Department fostering quality relationships with Department personnel, community members, and devoting his time to local youth mentoring programs. He comes to Olympic Division with a wealth of knowledge, enthusiasm and experience and is excited to be working alongside our dedicated officers and civilian workers, as well as all of our community members.
Remember to check out Olympic Community Police Station on Facebook or sign up for E-Policing alerts at www.lapdepolicing.org for ongoing information regarding crime trends and crime prevention strategies. All of us at Olympic Area Community Police Station wish you a safe and fun summer!
