Resident recounts 46-minute sheriff response; council flags public-safety funding for review

Rick Brooks, a Skyline Drive resident, told the council he called the sheriff after someone rang his gate bell repeatedly and a group gathered near his house late at night. He said sheriff units arrived about 46 minutes after his first call and that the delay left him fearing for his life. "No resident should have to be in fear for their life for 46 minutes waiting for the sheriff's department to show up," Brooks said.

Brooks urged the council to explore funding options to improve patrol coverage, including local assessments or other revenue measures to support 24/7 policing. He ran through rough calculations on patrol costs and asked council members to prioritize public safety over other services.

Council members acknowledged the concern and pointed to a series of upcoming sustainability and budget workshops the council has scheduled to consider tradeoffs. Councilors asked the sheriff's office to review Brooks' incident and provide follow-up information; one councilor noted the city has limited direct control over Los Angeles County patrol staffing and that changes may require funding or negotiations with the county.

Sheriff operations lieutenant Sharif Morsey introduced Deputy Gio Sarah earlier in the meeting and provided the department's monthly crime statistics, including several burglaries and a fatal traffic collision. The lieutenant did not dispute Brooks' account during public comment; council asked staff to request a formal follow-up from the sheriff's station and to include response-time data in a future update.

The council did not adopt any immediate policy or funding change at the meeting. Staff and council members recommended that the item be discussed in depth during the city's scheduled workshops on sustainability and public safety funding.

The council directed staff to have the sheriff's department look into Brooks' incident and report back to the council.