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{"source_url": "https://www.latimes.com", "url": "https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-12-31/crime-in-los-angeles-drops-2019-police-community-partnerships-and-gang-intervention", "title": "Crime in L.A. dropped again in 2019. Police credit community outreach and gang intervention", "top_image": "https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/83f362a/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3751x1969+0+219/resize/1200x630!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F01%2F33%2Fba329c884c85bbbffd6d057445bc%2Fshooting01.JPG", "meta_img": "https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/83f362a/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3751x1969+0+219/resize/1200x630!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F01%2F33%2Fba329c884c85bbbffd6d057445bc%2Fshooting01.JPG", "images": ["https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/7c37ae4/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4480x4480+1120+0/resize/100x100!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ffc%2F4e%2Fcbab209b42299d43be3da631e3dc%2Fla-photos-1staff-464522-me-metpro-class-2019-photos-05-mjc.jpg", "https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/0e/c6/b86a8b4b43a793259deb28a32a56/latlogoinverse.svg", "data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==", "https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/83f362a/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3751x1969+0+219/resize/1200x630!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F01%2F33%2Fba329c884c85bbbffd6d057445bc%2Fshooting01.JPG", "https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/b9/f5/1c9278c94a439e28f5150c679d6f/logo-full-black.svg", "https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/dbd6e95/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3751x2407+0+0/resize/840x539!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F01%2F33%2Fba329c884c85bbbffd6d057445bc%2Fshooting01.JPG"], "movies": [], "text": "Violent crime in Los Angeles declined for the second consecutive year in 2019, which was the 10th consecutive year the city saw fewer than 300 homicides.\n\nGang-related homicides and crime related to homelessness remain persistent trouble spots, officials said. But the overall crime picture continued several positive trends from the previous year, and officials said Los Angeles may be experiencing one of the safest periods in modern history.\n\nHomicides were at 252 as of Dec. 21, the same number as 2018 to that date. Violent crime, including homicides, rape, robbery and aggravated assaults, slid by 3.6%. The number of shooting victims dropped from 985 to 924, a 6.2% difference. Property crimes also decreased.\n\nIn the most dramatic decline, reported rapes decreased by 22.6%. But there were questions about how that statistic should be interpreted, and many advocates said that rape remains one of the most underreported crimes.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nLos Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore said the crime numbers show the department\u2019s emphasis on community policing is working. Continuing to partner with organizations such as the Gang Reduction and Youth Development Foundation has given the department more opportunities to work at the \u201cneighborhood level,\u201d Moore said.\n\n\u201cThis happens when all parts of our community work together,\u201d Moore said. \u201cThis is one of the safest times in our history.\u201d\n\nThere is no doubt that statistically, Los Angeles is far less deadly than in previous decades: in 1992 homicides peaked at nearly 1,100 and nearly 90,000 violent crimes were reported. In 2019, about 27,000 violent crimes were reported.\n\nCrime also fell in the parts of L.A. County patrolled by the Sheriff\u2019s Department, with murders and burglaries both down about 15%, according to Sheriff Alex Villanueva.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nElsewhere in California, crime dropped by 4.6% in San Francisco, but increased by 15% in Oakland, according to the cities\u2019 police departments. A 12% increase in homicides drove the crime spike in Oakland.\n\nAbout 57% of 2018\u2019s homicides in Los Angeles were gang-related, according to a 2018 report. That number too was down in 2019.\n\nBut Moore said that category, as well as homeless crime, still poses challenges.\n\n\u201cFar too many\u201d crimes committed against and perpetrated by homeless individuals happened in 2019, Moore said. And of the 252 city-wide homicides, he said more than half of them were gang-related.\n\nA LAPD spokesman said the department is compiling the most up-to-date statistics for both categories and will release them in early 2020.\n\n\u201cWe have a lot of room to improve on,\u201d Moore said. \u201cImagine how much safer our city would be if we do.\u201d\n\nMoore has previously touted LAPD-led youth programs and the work of gang interventionists for reductions in gang crime. But gang members themselves also launched initiatives to curtail violence.\n\nAfter rapper and community activist Nipsey Hussle was killed in March, several South Los Angeles gangs agreed to a tentative ceasefire. Nipsey Hussle, born Ermias Asghedom, rapped openly of his gang affiliation and called for reinvesting in the community and constructive reform in the streets. Many compared the truce to the one in 1992 after the devastating L.A. riots.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nSkipp Townsend, a prominent gang interventionist, said the ceasefire has sparked similar talks across the city, which makes him optimistic for the future.\n\n\u201cThere are more people talking about peace weekly than there are people talking about being violent again,\u201d Townsend said.\n\nThe LAPD defines a gang-related crime as when \u201cthe suspect or victim is an active or affiliate gang member, or when circumstances indicate that the crime is consistent with gang activity.\u201d\n\nTownsend said that definition is too subjective and lacks context. Isolated incidents that occur between individuals who also may be in a gang shouldn\u2019t count toward the tally, Townsend said. He acknowledged the department\u2019s work with community organizations, saying that needs to continue. Specifically, he said more former gang members working with police on the ground in communities would help.\n\n\u201cThere\u2019s no way a person can show up with a uniform with a badge and a gun and think that he\u2019s making an impact in the community,\u201d Townsend said. \u201cIt takes someone who is in regular street clothes, who talks and acts just like them, to say \u2018Hey, come on, let\u2019s talk peace. Let\u2019s put the guns down and have a conversation.\u2019\u201d\n\nAn LAPD report released earlier this year showed there was a 53% increase in homeless crime as perpetrators, and a 68% increase in crimes involving a homeless victim from 2017 to 2018. Moore said the department would work with city officials on several initiatives, for example, to place more homeless people in shelters and create more storage units for their belongings.\n\nCrimes committed by or against homeless people will not be tolerated, he said.\n\n\u201cWe hear the community in their plea for law enforcement to take a more active role,\u201d Moore said.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nPolice Commissioner Steve Soboroff, a member of the civilian body that governs the department, agreed with Moore\u2019s strategy, saying it\u2019s a way to serve a community that may feel unrepresented.\n\nThe fact that homeless individuals are reporting crimes is a good sign, Soboroff said.\n\n\u201cWe\u2019re in the business of trust,\u201d he said. \u201cThe more people that know that we\u2019re out there, hopefully it will help more people trust us.\u201d\n\nMoore said the department is investigating the steep drop in reported rape cases \u20141,495 in 2019, which is 436 fewer cases than 2018. It also marks the lowest total in six years.\n\nThat data doesn\u2019t reflect national trends, as reported rapes have increased steadily since 2013, according to the FBI\u2019s Uniform Crime Reporting program. But experts said rape is underreported across the country and in Los Angeles.\n\n\u201cI get a lot of calls from people who say, \u2018I didn\u2019t go to the police because I know how I\u2019m going to be treated,\u2019\u201d said David Ring, a sexual crimes and personal injury lawyer in Los Angeles. \u201cThey\u2019ll say, \u2018I know the types of questions I\u2019m going to be asked.\u2019 At the end of the day, the police are going to say, \u2018Sorry, we can\u2019t help you. \u2019So why do I want to put myself through that?\u2019\u201d\n\nRing is representing a client in the trial against Harvey Weinstein, the film producer whom numerous women have accused of sexually assault. Experts say the high profile saga, which fueled the #MeToo Movement in 2017, may have encouraged survivors to speak out. But Ring said the \u201cWeinstein effect\u201d has also made the public more aggressive in attempting to discredit survivors\u2019 testimonies, making some of them fearful of reporting to police.\n\nGenie Harrison, a sexual harassment lawyer in Los Angeles who is also representing one of Weinstein\u2019s accusers, estimated that 75% of the survivors who contact her firm tell her they haven\u2019t contacted police. She isn\u2019t surprised the reported numbers are low.\n\n\u201cI certainly don\u2019t see a decrease in the number of people calling my office or emailing me reporting that they\u2019ve been raped,\u201d she said.\n\nHarrison said LAPD should continue recruiting more women and people of color, saying some survivors feel more comfortable talking to someone who looks like them.\n\nMoore said the department will continue its education and outreach on the issue.\n\n\u201cThis crime is underreported as a society,\u201d Moore said. \u201cThe department wants and needs these people to step forward. These people are important to us, and they matter.\u201d\n\nMoore praised the department\u2019s 70% homicide clearance rate, as well as the 7.8% drop in property crime. Burglaries and motor vehicle theft dropped 16.7% and 11.1% respectively. Soboroff was especially pleased with the LAPD\u2019s efforts to use more non-lethal tools to fight crime, such as the BolaWrap.\n\nMoore said in 2020 he is seeking to hire more civilian across the department to free up uniformed officers for patrols and other pressing needs.\n\nTimes staff writer Cindy Chang contributed to this article", "keywords": [], "meta_keywords": [""], "tags": ["Things to Do"], "authors": ["Staff Writer", "Emmanuel Morgan Is A Reporter For The Los Angeles Times. Prior To Joining The Times In October", "His Work Appeared In The Charlotte Observer", "The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He Also Traveled The Country Reporting On Hate Crimes For The Prestigious Investigative Reporting Project Based At Arizona State University. A Native Of Charlotte", "N.C.", "Morgan Graduated Elon University With A Bachelor S Degree In Journalism", "A Minor In Political Science. He Served As The Executive Director Of The School S Student Media Organization", "Elon News Network", "Led The Staff In Multimedia Coverage Of A Presidential Transition", "Natural Disasters"], "publish_date": "Tue Dec 31 00:00:00 2019", "summary": "", "article_html": "", "meta_description": "Violent crime in Los Angeles declined for the second consecutive year in 2019, which also marked the 10th consecutive year the city saw fewer than 300 homicides. Gang-related homicides and homeless crimes still a challenge, LAPD chief says.", "meta_lang": "en", "meta_favicon": "/apple-touch-icon.png", "meta_data": {"og": {"title": "Crime in L.A. dropped again in 2019. 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