In the midst of a crime surge in the Los Angeles area, the city of Beverly Hills is taking steps to keep its citizens safe.
The Beverly Hills Police Department is planning to swear in five new officers on Monday, and the department will contract more private security for the holiday shopping season.
The move comes days after the fatal shooting of philanthropist Jacqueline Avant in her Beverly Hills home.
Aariel Maynor, a 29-year-old Los Angeles resident, was arrested for the killing the next day.
The Los Angeles area has also seen a spike in smash-and-grab robberies at local stores, including an attempted robbery in Beverly Hills last month.
Beverly Hills residents are concerned by the rise in crime, including Dara Levy, who described herself as “a little apprehensive.”
“I walk around with pepper spray and anything I can do, I’m constantly watching behind me, in front of me,” she said.
Beverly Hills resident Derek Fox encouraged the BHPD to put the new officers “on the street corners” and not in their cars.
“If somebody holds somebody up in Avra, Xi’an or Via Alloro, there’s a cop 20 yards away,” he said.