Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : Newhall Deputy on a Familiar Beat : Law enforcement: Joseph Trejo will work out of new substation in troubled historical neighborhood.

SANTA CLARITA —  Walking the streets in the oldest neighborhood in Santa Clarita is a beat that Deputy Joseph Trejo took on gladly, saying it brings back fond memories of growing up in South-Central Los Angeles.

The 11-year veteran of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has become a familiar sight to merchants and residents of East Newhall during the last few weeks as he prepares for Saturday’s opening of a small sheriff’s station there.

The city is paying about $150,000 a year to operate the substation, established in response to complaints that the historical neighborhood is deteriorating.

Trejo, 34, said the substation’s emphasis on community-based policing is familiar to him. He was inspired as a youth by a Los Angeles Police Department officer who helped keep order in a troubled neighborhood by making the rounds at schools, homes and businesses.

“He was no longer the neighborhood policeman,” Trejo said. “He was my buddy.”

Authorities hope the same approach will work in East Newhall, a mostly Latino, blue-collar neighborhood that has been plagued recently by everything from trash in the streets to some of the area’s worst drug and gang activity. Merchants said the problems have been accumulating for years.

“After 5 p.m. no old people will come here because they’re scared,” said Gary Yazgulian, 59, owner of an Army-Navy surplus store in the neighborhood’s downtown area, which consists of several blocks of longtime businesses in mostly one- and two-story buildings.

“I believe (Trejo) is going to be a big help,” Yazgulian said.

Plenty of other residents and merchants, happy for the increased police presence, are giving Trejo an earful as he introduces himself to them during his rounds.

Bailey Haskell, 84, a lifelong Santa Clarita resident who owns several businesses along a single block, complained about curbside day laborers who use the space behind a dumpster in an alley as a restroom.

“I’d appreciate anything you can do to straighten this mess out,” Haskell told the deputy.

Trejo said the complaint has been echoed by employees at other businesses. Part of Trejo’s walk Wednesday included a brief, but civil, talk about the business owners’ concerns with three men seeking work on a street corner, who nodded understandingly as the deputy moved on.

“Obviously, I’m not going to fix everything because I’m just one person,” he said. “But identifying problems is a start.”

Gang activity is a major concern to many residents and businesses alike. Four people were injured in separate gang-related shootings in East Newhall’s residential area in early July. Another concern is drug activity in alleys. Complaints from residents led to the arrest of 11 people during a sting operation in August, authorities said.

Trejo said he will help out gang units and other deputies investigating such crimes, hoping his community ties will produce leads that otherwise would be unavailable.

“You’ve got people living in fear in their own homes because they’re afraid of their neighbors,” he said. “I’m hoping that because I’m here, they won’t be as afraid.”

The city is attempting to revive the neighborhood’s historic character--while eliminating the influx of problems--through projects such as building a community center in which the sheriff’s substation will be located. Recreational and educational programs are planned at the center, including a boxing program scheduled to begin when the center opens Saturday.

Trejo said he plans to spend a couple of hours every day on foot talking with the locals, a similar amount of time patrolling the neighborhood in his police car and the rest of the day at the substation.

The substation also will be staffed by a community-services officer as well as a civilian selected on a rotating basis from among several residents who have volunteered to help out.

Residents will be able to file police reports and get help for many routine problems at the substation, said Robert Elson, operations lieutenant of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station.

Other problems not related to police work, such as potholes or street lights, can also be brought to substation workers, who will notify the proper officials.

In addition, the employees at the substation will be fluent in Spanish, helping to solve a communication barrier in the mostly Latino neighborhood, Elson said.

Residents will still need to go to the main Santa Clarita station for some requests, such as filing complaints against officers, meeting with detectives or getting fingerprinted, Elson said.

Trejo said the neighborhood is better than its reputation might lead outsiders to believe, and he hopes the substation’s presence will convince people of that.

“To me, this area is not that bad,” he said. “It’s got some problems, but we’ve really got a chance to put a stop to it.”