By Brooklynn Ackerman

La Mirada~On Thursday, March 15th, City of La Mirada Public Safety officer Mary Cipres and the principal of Foster Road Elementary, Sal Villagomez, hosted a Neighborhood Watch meeting to give the community a chance to express some of their concerns.

Around 30 members of the community gathered at Foster Road Elementary to ask questions directly to the deputies that are assigned to the La Mirada area. The deputies were happy to answer any questions and shared a few positive updates.

Recently there have been a few troubling incidents in the area and the officers confirmed they have discovered the cause of the issues and have a firm handle on it. They reiterated that gang activity will not be tolerated and they are taking action to suppress it.

Cipres and the officers encourage the members of the community to call the La Mirada Sheriff's station at (562) 902-2960 if they witness anything suspicious, no matter how big or small.

She also shared a few other ways to stay informed and involved in the community. E-Watch is a weekly email that is sent out to provide updates about criminal activity in the city. You can access it on the city's website under "Reference Links".

In addition, you can download the app My La Mirada which is an easy way to bring attention to things that need to be addressed, such as broken city equipment, tagging, etc. You simply take a photo of what you are observing and send it through the app. You can also follow La Mirada Public Safety on Facebook (@LaMiradaPublicSafety) and on Twitter (@LaMiradaPS) to stay connected.

Additional meetings were hosted at Gardenhill Elementary on March 22nd and at a home in the Foster Park area on March 23rd.