La Verne police credit outreach program for falling calls but warn A Line transit stop could bring new challenges

The La Verne Police Department told the City Council on July 7 that its homeless outreach support team is producing measurable reductions in calls tied to people experiencing homelessness, but urged preparations for an expected rise in transit‑adjacent activity when the A Line station opens.

Lieutenant J. Alvarado and Sergeant Flores presented multi‑year performance metrics, saying outreach contacts and service connections have grown and that the co‑response mental‑health model is freeing officers for other duties. “The data shows we’re trending downward in calls for service related to the unhoused,” Lieutenant Alvarado said. He and Sergeant Flores reported that between program startup and April 2025 outreach workers logged roughly 950 contacts, with 48 individuals placed in interim housing, two in permanent housing and 12 referred to substance‑use disorder treatment.

The presenters emphasized that the outreach model uses a small team of part‑time officers and partner navigators who broker services and build trust. Sergeant Flores said the co‑response model — dispatching mental‑health professionals alongside or after officers — has been “gamechanging” and credited regional partners including San Gabriel Valley Care, Tri‑City and the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments for support.

But staff warned that the city cannot assume the current trend will continue automatically. Sergeant Flores said the A Line transit hub, expected to open later this summer or early fall, could draw a transient population that expands and contracts throughout the day and increase calls for service, sanitation needs and demand for coordinated responses with the Los Angeles County Transit Service Bureau and Metro. “We don’t know exactly what the response times will be, and we need to plan for deployments, inter‑agency coordination and ordinance updates,” he said.

Council members and the chief praised the program’s outcomes and asked staff to pursue several next steps: expand outreach hours beyond weekdays, pursue funding for a dedicated full‑time community impact team, assess ordinance gaps around transit platforms and parking lots, and publicize coordination plans with Metro and county transit partners. Staff also noted access to some county grant funds that could be deployed to supplement local overtime staffing if needed.

The presentation concluded with Council members thanking outreach and parks staff for the program’s community partnerships. Staff said they will post the report materials and coordinate further briefings with council as Metro’s schedule for the A Line becomes firmer.