Police Patrols Show Success at Tweedy Mile Street Fair

Last Friday, Officer J.C. Gonzalez of the South Gate Police Department (SGPD) got a call to end a fight during the 22^nd Tweedy Mile Street Fair. Gonzalez got to the scene within less then a minute, and put an immediate end to it.  

“It was just kids getting into a little fistfight,” said Gonzalez, who is patrolling the fair on a bicycle along with his partner, Detective Rafael Vega. “It was nothing major.”

The same scenario repeated itself with another teen fight that was quickly ended later that night, according to police.

Being able to have a quick response to every incident is something that the South Gate Police has focused on doing to keep the peace

“The two fight calls that we got could have turned into something much worse,” said Lieutenant David Pixler,  the commander in charge of police presence at the fair, who directs the operation from a mobile command center near Tweedy Boulevard. “But because of our deployment and communication they ended quickly.”

The street fair is a family event, and the police acts against all infractions to keep it that way. 

"People should feel very comfortbale bringing their kids and family," said Captain Keith Hupp of the SGPD. "In order to do that, we need to enforce any violation we see."

The department's strategy of positioning officers at strategic points through out Tweedy Boulevard coupled with highly mobile patrols, such as those on bicycles, appears to be working well.

The South Gate Police reported only three misdemeanor arrests on Friday.

One was for public intoxication, another for being under the influence of drugs, and an additional arrest was made when a person gave false information to an officer.

Saturday, which is considered the busiest of the three days of the fair, resulted in no arrests because of infractions made on the actual street fair, according to Lt. Pixler.

On the other hand, the increased police presence did facilitate the apprehension of two men that attempted to steal a vehicle at the parking lot of the El Pollo Loco on Tweedy blvd.

“[The officers] were at the right place at the right time,” said Lt. Pixler. 

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