WESTSIDE VILLAGE : Stop-By Police Station to Open Monday

A police way station opens this week in the Palms and Westside Village area. Patrol officers can stop there to take care of minor business, giving them higher visibility and more presence on the streets.

Councilwoman Ruth Galanter will dedicate the “police stop-by” station, which features a bathroom, telephone, refrigerator and desk, on Monday at 9 a.m. The station, at 3310 Motor Ave., will be open for residents when a police officer happens to be there, but there are no scheduled hours.

Officers from the Los Angeles Police Department’s Pacific Division had told residents they could patrol the area better if they didn’t have to return to their home station at Culver Boulevard and Centinela Avenue.

Soon afterward, funds were collected from the Westside Village Homeowners Assn., individual residents and local businesses. Resident John Alonzo installed a telephone line in his name, promising to pay the bill for six months. The owner of the storefront that houses the station reduced the monthly rent from $750 to $500.

The telephone number for the stop-by station is (310) 281-8401.