Altadena Capt. McLean says that deputies will not participate in neighborhood coalition meetings as long as juvenile offender is volunteering

by Timothy Rutt

Deputies from the Altadena Sheriff's Station were scheduled to answer questions about dispatch and investigation complaints at Tuesday's ACONA meeting, but none showed.

Nor will they, said Altadena Sheriff Capt. Steven McLean.

"Not as long as we have someone with a criminal background collecting names," he said.

The captain was referring to Kendal Brown, who volunteers at the Altadena Coalition of Neighborhood Association (ACONA) meetings, usually staffing the attendance list.  Brown, 19, admits to having a juvenile criminal record, and, according to Elliot Gold, one of ACONA's organizers, his volunteer work for ACONA is counting towards his community service hours.

But law enforcement doesn't see it that way.  Brown was arrested after the last ACONA meeting, Nov. 1, 2011, after deputies at the meeting recognized him as having a warrant for  suspicion of grand theft, and called in other deputies.  Brown was released after three days, and charges were dropped in that matter.

According to McLean, someone with a record of criminal activity shouldn't be at a neighborhood meeting, collecting names and addresses of neighborhood watch block captains and listening to them discuss crime-fighting strategies with law enforcement.

"As long as he's there, we won't be there," McLean said.  As long as Brown is in the meetings, "I can't discuss what's up."

Both Brown and Gold think that the sheriff's department is targeting Brown, not believing that he's straightening out his life.  Brown said that he is being targeted because his brother belongs to a gang.  Gold, whose Upside Down T neighborhood association named Brown "Neighbor of the Year," also thinks that law enforcement isn't giving the youth a fair shake. 

In fact, Gold was removed from the sheriff's community advisory committee because he refused to not take Brown to meetings, both Gold and McLean say.

As for the complaints against the department, stemming from an Oct. 29, 2011 incident where shots were fired and neighbors did not think an adequate investigation took place, McLean said that "we sat down with the complainants in my office, we are doing an investigation."  Residents who attended that meeting reported at Tuesday's meeting that they did not feel they were being taken seriously and were being brushed off.