Telephone and Online Reporting Now Possible
LOS ANGELES- In response to a rise in thefts of LADWP property, the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (LADWP) Security Services Division is asking the public to report criminal or suspicious activity by a new portal on the Department’s website. Visitors to www.ladwp.com may now locate and click on the Security badge icon to be connected to the new Security portal. From the portal, visitors may access vital Security telephone and email contact information and they will be immediately enabled to report a Department-related crime or suspicious activity to LADWP officers on watch 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
Like many other utility companies across the nation, LADWP has seen crime categories including theft and vandalism spike significantly in recent years. An increase in metal values has led to the brazen theft of copper wire and cable, a crime that results in damage to power infrastructure and potential injury, even death, for the thief. Additionally, LADWP customers have reported incidents of “distraction burglaries” wherein impostors posing as Department employees attempt to gain access to private properties to rob them of valuables. Witnesses and would-be tipsters are asked to come forward by contacting Security either via the internet portal or by telephone to report crimes like these or any other potential crimes or suspicious activities they may see.
“This enhancement to the Department website is dedicated exclusively to helping protect our most valued assets, our customers and our infrastructure, from crime, said David Nahai, LADWP Chief Executive Officer and General Manager. “Successful law enforcement agencies depend on community interaction for crime prevention, and now so do we.” The Department encourages all customers to visit the new Security portal, bookmark the page in their internet browsers and keep the phone numbers in a safe place should they ever need them.
LADWP Security Services Division exists to safeguard the lives and property of the Department, its employees and customers and to enhance emergency management in the event of any type of disaster. While the new Security portal enables more direct customer access to existing services performed by Department Security personnel, LADWP Security is in no way a replacement for actual police protection. LADWP reminds all customers that anybody witnessing or experiencing an actual crime or emergency should immediately dial 911.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the nation’s largest municipal utility, provides reliable, low-cost water and power services to Los Angeles residents and businesses in an environmentally responsible manner. LADWP services about 1.4 million electric customers and 680,000 water customers in Los Angeles.
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