Downtown Long Beach gets new private security guards
Downtown Long Beach introduced new private security guards this week in hopes of revitalizing its downtown and shoreline areas.
The guards, hired by the Downtown Long Beach Alliance, will be especially focused on patrolling highly trafficked areas and making them safer, particularly due to a recent high-profile sexual assault of a young woman that was caught on camera.
On Oct. 20, Rebekah Pedersen was walking alone when her attacker grabbed her from behind. She fell to the ground as the man pulled up her skirt and thrusted himself against her.
An older man who was sitting at a table on the sidewalk intervened and pepper sprayed the attacker, who then ran away, the video showed.
Woman sexually assaulted by homeless man in Long Beach speaks out
The new patrols just started on Monday, but one business owner who spoke to KTLA off-camera was relieved, saying the homeless would typically camp out in front of his restaurant and it would scare customers away.
The guards are there not only for protection but to provide mental help resources and emergency shelters to those in need.
Private security has made a difference in other neighborhoods, the Long Beach Post reported.
“We’ve been more than satisfied, very happy because we have somebody to call to address any issues immediately when they’re on duty,” Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association Executive Director Blair Cohn told the Post.
The private security guards will be unarmed but police officers will be dispatched if situations escalate.
The new contract is scheduled to last six months but could be extended.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.
