Violent crime in Los Angeles has increased for the third straight year, according to statistics released by the Los Angeles Police Department. The uptick in homicides, robberies and aggravated assaults was seen in the city proper, as well as areas patrolled by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Overall, L.A.’s violent crime rate was up 10% over 2015 and 38% over two years ago, reports the L.A. Times. More than 290 people were killed in the city last year. Property crimes were also up 4%.
The city has been witnessing a steady reversal of the crime decline which began in the 1990s. Initially, however, Sheriff’s Department-patrolled territory was still faring well.
The city is still safer than a decade ago when 480 people became the victims of homicide. But an increase in gang activity and homelessness is fueling both violent and non-violent criminal activity.
Public safety personnel place much of the blame on recent criminal justice reform measures like Proposition 47 which they say encouraged certain offenses and put more criminals back on the streets.
“Unfortunately, we see that these programs are sold to the voters as having some positive impact, and so far in two years we haven’t seen that positive impact,” said Assistant Sheriff Jacques “Anthony” La Berge, who oversees patrol for the Sheriff’s Department.
Advocates of Prop. 47 say that’s nonsense.
Cities and counties across the state are reporting similar trends. But there have been success stories as well. Some Bay Area cities did see a decrease in crime. In San Francisco, homicides and rapes are up, but robberies are down and overall crime was down through the end of November. In Oakland, crime was down 6%.