A string of violent assaults and a general feeling of unease have prompted city leaders to light up North Park streets.
To identify dark and potentially dangerous spots, North Park Main Street and SDG&E recently conducted a survey of the lights along 30th Street and University Avenue.
They found 23 streetlights were burned out or malfunctioning. Twenty of those lights have since been fixed, and city officials say the last three should be working soon.
To illuminate other dim areas, city crews installed two lights at the community park’s tennis courts, which will stay on starting Monday.
They plan to switch the streetlamps on Lincoln Avenue between Texas Street to I-805 to brighter LED bulbs. Three of the six recent attacks have taken place along that stretch of road.
Another streetlight will be added on Lincoln in the alley between Arizona and Texas, and city agencies will look into adding lighting along Idaho, Oregon and parallel alleys.
“It's not going to stop everything from happening, but I'm hoping the lights will be a deterrent,” said North Park property manager Jen Conrads.
City Council President Todd Gloria said he is talking with the San Diego Unified School District to find ways to fund more lighting and cameras at the Oregon and Lincoln corner of ALBA School.
Gloria vowed to contribute money from his office budget to the North Park Community Association’s Citizens Patrol. The group has requested flashlights and whistles to distribute throughout the neighborhood.
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But some residents are taking safety into their own hands.
“We’ve installed some motion sensor lights at the front and back of our complex because we do have an alley in the back,” said Conrads.
All the efforts are to avoid more attacks like the six that have been reported since June. In each case, the victim was a woman walking alone who was assaulted from behind by one or two suspects. In many of the incidents, the women were knocked unconscious.
After the most recent assault on Aug. 28, police obtained a photo of a person of interest in the cases.
“To the predator who is preying on women in North Park, your days are numbered and you’re certainly not going to get away with this much longer,” said Gloria. “But in the meantime, we’re going to make sure people are well protected and people can feel as safe as possible.”
A $10,000 bounty has also been offered for information leading to a suspect's arrest.
If you know anything about the attacks or the person of interest, call the San Diego Police Department at 619-531-2000 or Crime Stoppers at 888-850-8477.
