New Signs Mark Police Anti-Drug Barricade

Police barricaded a second Sepulveda neighborhood Wednesday and posted signs saying “Secure Area” instead of “Narcotics Enforcement Zone.

But the purpose of the roadblocks remained the same as in November when police put up the “Narcotics Enforcement Zone” signs in the nearby Columbus Avenue area--to keep drive-by drug buyers off residential streets, authorities said.

Roadblocks now surround two nearby neighborhoods that are separated by Sepulveda Boulevard, which remains a through street. The area has long been known as a violent drive-by drug market, said Capt. Mark D. Stevens of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Devonshire Division.

The wording of the signs in both neighborhoods was changed after landlords said they were worried that prospective tenants would shun apartments in areas labeled as drug zones, said Greg Nelson, press deputy to Councilman Joel Wachs, who represents the area.