Cerritos business owners cite robberies and street takeovers; city pushes ALPR installations and sheriff coordination

Business owners and residents told the Cerritos City Council on July 10 that repeated street takeovers and robberies near Studebaker and Artesia are harming local businesses and prompted calls for additional law-enforcement resources and camera enforcement.

Richard Vandenberg, owner of Off Street Cafe on Artesia Boulevard, described multiple break-ins and attempted burglaries at his business over the last three and a half years and said the sheriff’s response times have not matched his needs.

"A couple weeks ago, we were robbed for the fourth time in three and a half years... I’ve spent money on security, on cameras, over $60,000," Vandenberg said. "Every time they break in, it costs me another $34,000. It’s onerous, and it really concerns me that the sheriff isn’t taking crime seriously in the city of Cerritos."

Captain Drew Strong of the Cerritos sheriff’s station said deputies were aware of the problem and that station leadership had reached out to the business. "We will do. And, I think we've, we've reached out to the gentleman, and we're working on, trying to help him," Strong said.

City Manager Robert Lopez and staff updated the council on automatic license plate reader (ALPR) camera installations intended to help deter and investigate crimes. Lopez said phase 2 of ALPR installation is complete and that phase 3 will begin now that the new fiscal-year budget has been adopted.

"We just completed phase 2 of the installation of automatic license plate reader cameras. Phase 3... we are initiating phase 3. That'll be coming within the coming months," Lopez said.

Several speakers, including Mel Cortez, who presented a slide showing year-to-date reductions in reported home burglaries, thanked the sheriff's station and neighborhood-watch volunteers for improvements while urging continued investment in enforcement and camera coverage. Cortez suggested deploying trailers with live feed to deter recurring street-takeover events.

Staff described a technical delay in deploying an ALPR at a particular intersection (Shoemaker and Studebaker) because additional equipment was required; that site was moved to phase 3. The city committed to keep residents and businesses informed about ALPR deployment schedules.

Discussion points: residents asked for more deputies on the street and expedited ALPR installations; staff noted staffing constraints at the county sheriff’s office and supply/installation issues for some ALPR sites. Direction from the meeting includes continued coordination with the sheriff’s station and the initiation of phase 3 ALPR deployments under the adopted budget.

No formal council vote was required on the public-safety updates; the council recorded public comments and staff commitments to follow up with the business owner and the sheriff’s command.