Central Los Angeles : If They Offer It, Will Police Come?

Chinatown has found a way to get the cash-strapped Los Angeles Police Department closer to the neighborhood: pay for it.

A group of local business owners and residents is offering the LAPD a substation complete with lockers, fax machines, telephones and computers.

“This is a premier example of the community working with the police,” said Henry Leong, vice president of the Chinatown Public Safety Assn., which is offering its two-story building to police.

The station’s proposed amenities include lockers and showers, a break room, a paid administrative assistant and translators. The association plans to raise $37,400 for the cause.

The “district station” is part of a plan, still being reviewed by police department management, to put police closer to the neighborhoods they patrol.

Patrol officers and a supervisor would work directly from one of six proposed stations. The Chinatown station is expected to open by the end of September.

“Basically, the concept is to . . . empower some of the middle managers to become more involved with the community,” said Central Division Lt. Louis Trovato.

A community meeting on the proposal is set for 7 p.m. tonight at the association offices at 823 N. Hill St., Los Angeles.