Melrose Action founder Peter Nichols was recognized by former California Assemblyman Richard Bloom for his enduring efforts to organize the community. photo by Edwin Folven)

Peter Nichols, founder of the neighborhood advocacy group Melrose Action, works to make the community safer.

A resident since 1999, Nichols started Melrose Action in 2008 after the murder of a 70-year-old man out for an evening walk near Poinsettia Park. Outraged about the murder, he brought neighbors together, held town halls and forged ties with police and city leaders. Melrose Action quickly grew into a voice for the community, and remains so today.

“It was first formed to make sure they found the killer of this man and to organize the community. There was a lot of outrage and fear,” Nichols said. “At the time, there was no Melrose BID, there was no neighborhood watch. We wanted to get our neighbors together to start a grassroots effort to fight crime.”

Authorities arrested a homeless man who frequented Poinsettia Park for the elderly man’s murder, ending a particularly unsettling period in the community. In the years that followed, Melrose Action developed a network of community members, lobbied for public safety resources and fought back whenever crime increased in the area.

Nichols said the Melrose area transformed over the years and Melrose Action changed with it, expanding into other areas involving public safety. When homelessness became an issue near Poinsettia Park, Melrose Action worked with the city to find solutions. Under Nichols’ direction, Melrose Action became a nonprofit, enabling it to raise money and expand ever further. In December 2021, Melrose Action made history when it became the first neighborhood organization in the country to establish a network of Automated License Plate Recognition cameras, or ALPRs, in the community. The camera footage is provided to police when crimes occur, and law enforcement considers the network an important crime-fighting tool. The cameras were installed approximately six months before the Beverly Hills Police Department opened its Real Time Watch Center. Nichols is frequently invited to cities around the country to consult with leaders who want to establish their own ALPR programs.

“The cameras were an out of the box, off the rails kind of idea. No one else had done anything like that, and it showed they work. It has helped make the area safer,” Nichols said. “I’m very proud of the fact that we were the first in the country to do that.”

Nichols said crime has gone up and down over the years and he credited police and the city for stepping up with resources. The Melrose community has had some challenging times and high-profile crimes, but Nichols said things have now moved in the right direction.

“I’d say it’s better than ever,” he added. “I don’t want to jinx it, but it’s the quietest it’s been since I moved here. [Crime] is definitely down, and I take pride in our role in that.”