Dear LAPD: Sunnynook Footbridge is Not in Glendale

THIS EVENING for a good 30 minutes a young man in a gray hoodie has stood restlessly at one end of the Sunnynook Footbridge. His hands deep in pockets, he seems to be nervously hovering on the west bank of the Los Angeles River. What's he waiting for? Why loiter on a bicycle path? So I call Northeast station, Los Angeles Police Department, to report possible drug-dealing. I hate to be uptight, but there are plenty of legal opportunities to get high in this town, and this guy's sending bad signals. Maybe they could get him for bike menacing or something. Me, describing the location: "Along the LA River between Los Feliz Blvd. and Glendale Blvd." LAPD Dispatch: "OK, I'll connect you to the Glendale Police Department and they'll be able to help you." Me, incredulous: "I swear to God Sunnynook Footbridge is not in Glendale. They won't help. They'll send me back to you." After a bit more clicking and checking, and a new location description (Riverside Drive and Los Feliz Blvd.), suddenly the LA River is back in LAPD jurisdiction. But why did I not hang up confident that anything would be done about that hoodied dude at the end of the bridge?