LA PALMA : Police Chief: Family Is Key to Fighting Crime

Police Chief David S. Barr says the best way to stop crime is at the family level. In his annual report to the city, Barr noted that although La Palma police have launched a number of anti-crime activities, instruction in the home is still the best way to make law-abiding citizens.

“Our future, as a society and as a nation, is rooted in the success or failure of the family; for the family is the basic social element where character and values are formulated, reinforced and perpetuated,” Barr wrote in the report. “It is in families where the gangsters and criminals as well as our teachers and community leaders of tomorrow receive their basic training and begin life’s path toward social burden or social productivity.”

Barr’s report, which he presented to the City Council last week, said the Police Department spent $2.9 million in 1994. The bulk of that money was for police patrols, which cost $1.5 million, and investigations, which accounted for $426,168.

The rest of the budget was spread throughout the department, including administration, anti-drug work, police reserves, and records and communications.