Central Los Angeles : Police Substation Opens Near Site of Girl’s Slaying

Nearly four months after gang members opened fire on a car and killed a 3-year-old girl, City Councilman Mike Hernandez on Monday dedicated a police substation in Cypress Park.

Located in a tiny former clothing boutique at Cypress Avenue and Loosmore Street, the temporary station will be used as a daytime “drop-in” center for officers from the Northeast Division of the Los Angeles Police Department.

Hernandez hopes to open a permanent substation with police, parole and truant officers, as well as local community groups in an abandoned fire station across the street from the temporary locale.

That move depends on a $5-million grant application with the federal government, an opportunity that came after U.S. Housing Secretary Henry Cisneros toured the area in the wake of the slaying of Stephanie Kuhen on Sept. 17.

The slaying occurred after the family drove down a dead end of Isabel Street and was attacked by gun-wielding gang members.

Monday’s dedication occurred nine hours after a reputed gang member was gunned down five blocks away, a point not overlooked by passersby.

“They should be out patrolling,” argued Al Hernandez, a longtime Cypress Park resident. “It’s great to see a police car parked in front, but all the incidents happen four blocks away.”