Graph via LAPD/Mayor's office
If you've been feeling a lot safer recently, you're not alone: The city of Los Angeles logged fewer than 300 homicides in 2010, a number that hasn't been reached here since the sunny days of 1967 when the first Super Bowl was played at the Coliseum and the police cruised around in stylish Plymouth Belvedere cars. In a press release today, Mayor Villaraigosa credits the declines to targeted policing strategies continued under Chief Beck, gang intervention programs and an increase in the number of sworn officers in recent years to nearly 10,000.
From the release: “I am proud to announce that last year the City suffered fewer murders than at any point since 1967. This is not just a year-end statistic; it is perhaps the most powerful statement on the state of our city and our Police Department,” Mayor Villaraigosa said. “Even during tough economic times, we have kept our sights on a more hopeful, promising and safer future and the statistics once again shed light on a much brighter outcome for our City. Our unwavering commitment to public safety has yielded tangible results and has saved lives.” Consider yourself lucky if you lived through 1992, when 1,092 homicides were recorded in the city. Despite that press release today, it hasn't been the best week for Highland Park. --Rich Alossi
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