Thefts at Downey Cemetery

Dear Editor:I live near the Downey Cemetery and I'd like to make others aware of what has been going on. Grave markers in the cemetery are continually being stolen and presumably being sold as scrap metal. Today I saw that the actual city plaque has been stolen! Nothing is being done to stop this from happening. I wrote to the City Council and received a prompt response from Mario Guerra and Mark McDaniel, the nighshift watch commander. Mr. Guerra stated that he didn't have an answer to fix this problem but would be discussing what could be done, and Mr. McDaniel suggested we keep calling the police when we see any suspicious activity. I have an easy answer: invest a little money (not a lot like is being invested in shopping center after shopping center) and place gates at the cemetery, add lighting, and have some police patrol at night. If your loved ones are buried here, or if you live in the city, please write to the city council members and the cemetery district demanding some respect for people's final resting place. Karina Saucedo Downey

********** Published: September 27, 2012 - Volume 11 - Issue 24