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Residents press for cameras, targeted traffic enforcement and volunteer patrols in La Habra Heights
Summary
Public commenters and council members urged camera enforcement, license-plate readers and temporary speed-control devices to tackle speeding and oversized trucks; volunteers urged reviving a civilian volunteer patrol as a visibility measure.
Residents at the La Habra Heights workshop urged the council to pursue traffic-calming measures, license-plate readers and other low-cost technology to improve safety on narrow, hilly roads, and several speakers urged resurrecting the Volunteer Patrol program to boost visible patrols.
Monica Gunns, a Reposado Drive resident, described difficulty turning onto Hacienda from her street and urged the city to consider physical speed-control devices and camera enforcement at problem intersections. "By the time I get out, a car will be on my bumper," she said, and asked whether bolt-on humps or camera enforcement might be appropriate where engineering allows.
City staff explained why permanent speed humps can be difficult to place on curved stretches and said state speed-survey rules and engineering requirements determine whether certain devices can be installed. Rafferty noted some cities have pilot programs and suggested bolt-on devices and varied traffic-car schedules as potential short-term options.
Multiple residents and council members discussed license-plate readers. One council member noted the city had earlier deployed plate readers in 2007 but decommissioned them for technical and cost reasons; several residents said modern systems are cheaper and able to assist with burglary and overweight-truck enforcement by recording entry and exit times.
Eddie asked about reverse-911 and emergency notifications; staff confirmed a Nixle/alert system and offered QR-code signups at the meeting. Another resident recommended that the city publish regular location-based sheriff reports and make incident data available on the city website instead of relying solely on social platforms.
Longtime volunteers urged returning the Volunteer Patrol (VOP) program, describing a model of trained civilian volunteers who operated under sheriff supervision in non-sworn roles (no arrest authority) and who increased visibility and reporting. Councilmembers expressed interest in reconstituting that program and asked staff to raise it with the Emergency Preparedness Committee.
Next steps: staff will bring camera/license-plate-reader options and cost information to the January agenda, discuss pilot or shared traffic-enforcement options with neighboring contract cities and the sheriff station, and coordinate volunteer-patrol follow-up with the emergency preparedness committee.
