Pomona Resident Seeks Support from Diamond Bar, Walnut for Petition Related to Murders

A Pomona resident is seeking support from neighboring communities such as Diamond Bar and Walnut in their effort to get the California attorney general to investigate their city's administration and police department.

Elaine Griffin, the author of the petition, wrote on change.org that the effort is in response to the numerous unsolved murders in the city.

"The citizens of the city are tired of dodging bullets and wondering who is going to be next to succumb to the whims of the gangs and other criminal elements that seem to be running the city, while our elected officials continue to ignore the problem," she wrote.

The city has had 25 murders this year, 136 since Jan. 1, 2007, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The Pomona Police is making an effort to do more community outreach. Earlier this month, Police Chief Dave Keetle met with residents who live in the neighborhoods around St. Madeleine Catholic Church to discuss crime in that area of town, reported the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin.

Keetle said that the department needs residents to help keep watch and report crimes as they happen so that officers can respond to those first, the newspaper reported. He also said that ongoing issues need to be reported so strategies can be developed to tackle those.

Griffin said in one post on the petition site that she is reaching out to residents in neighboring cities to support her effort because Pomona's crime issues could spread to surrounding communities.

She also has set up a Facebook page.

Do you have concerns about crimes in neighboring cities affecting Diamond Bar or Walnut? Share your perspective in the comment section.