The Alhambra Chamber of Commerce held its bi-monthly Restaurant Roundtable in June. In response to public safety concerns brought up at the previous roundtable, the Chamber invited Alhambra Police Chief Kennedy to speak with local restaurant owners about their worries and answer questions.

Attendees shared their troubles, including incidents of vandalism, loitering, crime in parking structures, and lawsuits. Most issues fell into two categories: incidents that affected other customers and those that happened overnight, while there wasn’t as much surveillance. While there isn’t much that can be done if it’s a one-time occurrence, Chief Kennedy said that repeat incidences are much easier to address – APD’s goal is to prevent crime before it happens. For instance, if you know that the same person speeds through a red light at the same time every day, APD can monitor for the next offense and respond appropriately.

Chief Kennedy also spoke about APD’s efforts to improve efficiency, most recently with the launch of a new drone program. The drones allow for better information-gathering as the first responders to a call, with drone operators assessing the situation from above and deploying the correct team to respond. This means fewer uniformed officers are sent out to every call, which can sometimes bring a badge and gun where that type of force isn’t needed. Instead, for example, APD can send their L.A. CADA partners to make outreach to a homeless person outside an establishment where the owner has called in for loitering. L.A. CADA provides resources and housing solutions for Alhambra’s homeless neighbors and is better equipped to respond to these calls than a police officer.

Aside from setting up security cameras, Chief Kennedy said that the most important thing for restaurant owners to keep in mind is “don’t hesitate to call.”

In a smaller group, participants also spoke candidly about the proliferation of ADA-related lawsuits from customers who come in specifically seeking issues to sue for. While most of these cases are settled outside of court, they’re often backed by lawyer groups and are costly for small business owners. ADA regulations and lawsuits will be the topic of the next Restaurant Roundtable for local restaurant owners to learn more about how to ensure compliance and respond to lawsuits.

The next Restaurant Roundtable is scheduled for 9:30 am on Thursday, August 15 on Zoom. To join, reach out to hello@alhambrachamber.org.