LAPD will scale back overnight enforcement of a quieter 6th Street Bridge
Activity on the 6th Street Bridge has quieted down after its first two weeks of opening were marred by stunts, takeovers, and other illegal activity, so the LAPD says they will start to let up on overnight enforcement – a little.
The new, $588 million bridge has now been open for a full month, but it's been an eventful 30 days – after its opening, it became the target of street takeovers and vandalism, fireworks were set off, and there was even a haircut performed in the middle of traffic passing on both sides.
The escalating series of illegal activity prompted a surge in LAPD enforcement immediately around the bridge, and city officials scrambled to address the problem, recommending an additional $700,000 budget for its cleanup and maintenance.
Even though there have been some attempts at impeding traffic on the bridge, which connects Boyle Heights with the downtown Arts District, including a Sunday attempt by a group of 300 truckers to stop on the bridge and have a "car show," Capt. German Hurtado, commander of the LAPD's Central Bureau, told the city's public works committee that they have scaled down from initial group of officers working overtime Thursdays through Sundays from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. He said most of the incidents on the bridge have been the work of visitors from outside city limits.
But the committee is still working on long-term strategies to maintain the safety of the bridge, including installing cameras and anti-climbing devices. The committee has also requested the city attorney to draft an ordinance with an urgency clause to prohibit people from "accessing areas outside of the bridge fencing, defacing the viaduct, street takeovers, drag racing, dangerous driving practices, the stopping of motorized vehicles, and participating in any activity that blocks the viaduct's vehicular travel lanes with a permit."
