The City of Glendale, California is quite popular in the area of Los Angeles, with a population of 184,088. This city has a lot to offer to our citizens to enjoy and explore, including the Americana and the Glendale Galleria. And in the surrounding area, we can visit Universal Studios Hollywood, The Huntington Library, and more.
However, we’ve seen some terrible accidents in our city, particularly on the streets and freeways. Numerous times, I have seen or experienced drivers cutting in between lines, or cutting off other automobiles, without using their turn signals. It is extremely unsafe and irresponsible of these drivers who drive so dangerously. Those people who are facing these conditions are more likely to worry or become frustrated with unaware drivers.
Another issue to consider is how fast certain people drive. If you live in Glendale, you understand what these drivers are like when they are racing. Glenoaks Blvd has, undoubtedly, the worst driving around, especially at night. Street racing happens every night, especially on weekends.
I do not understand why people do this. It’s just waste for no purpose; all it is a way for idiots to show off to others what kind of cars they drive.
A certain Instagram account has recently gone big, after exposing some of the irresponsible drivers in Glendale. The account called onlyinGlendale has more than forty-eight thousand followers. It contains videos and pictures, showing what typical drivers tend to do here in Glendale, including parking however they want to, speeding, or even crashing into other cars.
Over the past year, shootings, bomb threats, and robberies have also been common incidents in our city.
On August 8, 2023, there was a massive robbery at the Saint Laurent store at our local Americana. Saint Laurent is considered one of the luxury stores in this shopping center. Between twenty and twenty-five people were involved in this incident, and the Glendale Police Department stated that at least $300,000 worth of merchandise was stolen. During this moment, many people noticed and started to record the action taking place. A few witnesses even took a close-up shot of the robbery while it was happening.
Just a few months ago, on August 15, 2024, there was a shooting on the 800 block of North Pacific Avenue, at around 8:45 in the morning. Two men were responsible for the shooting death of a local music promoter, Robert Dehnoushi, who was fifty-four years old. Two weeks later, Glendale police officers were soon able to track the shooters and arrest both men involved. The two shooters were Jerry Baza Tolentino and Arman Martinyan. Sadly, Dehnoushi was found dead at the crime scene.
Days after this incident, on August 23, 2024, there was a fake bomb threat at the Americana. This incident caused a huge evacuation that terrorized all people involved. The Glendale Police Department, along with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department bomb squad, started investigating, and later that night, they found a note that claimed the bomb to be real. Soon, the police department announced the scene was safe and no bomb went off.
Statistics do show that Glendale’s Crime Rate has earned a B- grade about crime and safety, and the most common crimes committed in our city are assault and burglary. CrimeGrade.org shows that overall, our city has earned a safety score of C+. At the same time, when looking over the map of Glendale, our town is not completely safe for all of its residents.
All of these crimes were committed in less than a year, and Glendale is arguably not the safest city to live in right now. All of these crimes are occurring, and the consequences are often resulting in death.
The common question now is what can the City of Glendale do to provide a safer community for all residents. One program featured on our city’s website, titled Crime Prevention Programs & Resources, allows citizens to report any illegal behavior to the Glendale Police Department. Their main purpose is to boost the level of security and help our residents have a safer community. Also, citizens can make suggestions to the city policymakers to make the city safer for all.
Ultimately, our city must bring back traffic light cameras, which can detect any drivers who ignore red lights. Even though the California Supreme Court found the issue to be considered “constitutional”, the red light cameras have been discontinued in Glendale since 2012.
The Los Angeles Times stated it was useless to use these cameras due to violation citations. The police needed officers to be assigned to review violations out in the field, rather than relying on these cameras. Eight months afterward, the Los Angeles Council and Police Commission voted to terminate the red light cameras enforcement due to these reasons.
But there is some good news to report. At the end of last December, Governor Gavin Newsom passed a law that allows for installing cameras on every street in Los Angeles, Glendale, and Long Beach, to catch speeders. I do hope this new law will be more efficient and teach those drivers a lesson about speeding.
Nitros, if you witness any incidents going on in Glendale, don’t hesitate to contact the Glendale Police Department. You may just save someone’s life.
