San Diego Police Department’s (SDPD) Western Division has new leadership at the helm. Capt. Bill Edwards and Lt. Lori Luhnow began their assignments at Western Division earlier this year.
For Edwards, a 30-year veteran police officer who has been with SDPD since 1979, this is his third time working the division that includes Ocean Beach, Point Loma, Morena, Midway District, Hillcrest, Mission Valley, Mission Hills, University Heights and Linda Vista. In total, Western Division encompasses about 26 square miles and 176,000 people.
Edwards served Western Division as a police officer from 1980 to 1984 and as a lieutenant from 1986 to 1988, finally returning as captain Jan. 26.
Luhnow is an SDPD veteran of nearly 20 years, with an impressive resume. She became the department’s first female SDPD motorcycle officer in 1993 and headed up the highly successful administrative citation program, wherein homes hosting loud parties are subject to $1,000 civil assessment fines. This is Luhnow’s first time policing Western Division. She began on Feb. 22 and focuses on the Ocean Beach, Point Loma and Rosecrans areas.
The Beacon had the opportunity to sit down with Edwards and Luhnow to discern their perspectives on policing the community. The results are presented in question-and-answer format.

Characterize Western Division from a policing perspective.
Edwards: You have very diverse communities. You also have very influential communities. I would say the people are very pro-police. They want to work with the police department. The challenges we face are that we are rebuilding an organization and trying to improve staffing levels to provide the level of service that I think the public has come to expect from us.
Luhnow: The biggest thing I’ve noticed already is the level of community support and involvement. Through my interaction with people, I am pleasantly surprised at how much support we have and [by the] understanding they give us toward our challenges right now with staffing and their willingness to help out. They aren’t looking for us necessarily to own some of the problems that they can help with. In fact, they’re proactive in trying to solve their own problems, and they just need a little support from us, and we’re more than happy to give it to them.

Other than departmental challenges such as staffing, what are some specific challenges for Western Division?
Edwards: When you talk about Ocean Beach and Point Loma, obviously you always have an issue with homeless problems. It’s an area people migrate to. You’ve always had auto thefts and car prowls, but one of the things that’s changed that I’ve noticed from the last time I worked here is you’re starting an upturn in violent crime, and it’s more of people within the community later in the evening/early morning hours attacking each other, and that’s something that’s a little unusual. We’ve had homicides, some severe ones, and we’ve had violence out there, but this to me is a different type of activity that I’m not used to seeing in the Ocean Beach area. Obviously, everyone’s well aware of the situation at the fire ring (the brutal Feb. 27 attack on Australian tourist Robert Schneider, who was beaten and thrown into a fire ring in OB. Both suspects have been taken into custody). That’s one of the more brutal crimes that I can think of. What’s the point of reason?

What are going to be your strategies for policing Western?
Edwards: The new patrol chief [Boyd Long] has asked each division to come up with goals. I’ve already asked each sergeant to get with their squads and develop some divisionwide goals. It may be a little bit different depending on [the] community, but I need to come up with three or four common goals we can work on for the next year to two years or longer and still fulfill the mission of the San Diego Police Department. And what’s specific to enhancing public safety and improving quality of life? Some of the basic tenets that this department has built its reputation on: community policing, problem solving, working in partnership ” it still holds true today.
Luhnow: We’re still in the assessment phase where we’re getting input from our sergeants and the community to establish those goals. We want to spend our time on the important issues to them. The changes that may occur from here on out aren’t going to be that noticeable because the officers and sergeants are still the same and they’re the backbone for us.

Any other message you would like to get out to the community?
Edwards: Obviously, please, if there are issues, make sure you bring it to our attention. The number for Western is (619) 692-4800. If it’s an emergency, call 9-1-1 or (619) 531-2000 to report crimes. Continue to stay involved. Everyone knows everybody’s struggling right now, and don’t lose faith; things will get better. This has always been a good organization to work for, and the people believe in it. There’s a lot of dedicated people around here.