RSSAmericans, especially residents of California, are long accustomed to hearing about the ongoing problem of urban crime. However, in many cities, issues such as gang violence have seemed to stabilize somewhat and taper off from their peak in the 1980s and 1990s. However, according to the Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, violent crimes may actually be on the rise again in the city of angels.
During the first half of 2014, reports of violent crimes were nearly three percent higher than during the same period in 2013. The initial six months of 2014 saw just over 8,600 reports of violent crime; in the first half of 2013, that number sat at around 8,370. Charlie Beck, Chief of the LAPD, noted that the department is concerned about this troubling uptick. Still, he mentioned that non-violent crimes, such as burglary, actually remained relatively low. In addition, crime in general has also been down throughout L.A. Beck stated that homicides, rapes and shootings were all down.
What is believed to be behind the increase in violent crime reports are incidents of aggravated assault. Compared to the same time period last year, this type of crime was up 12 percent. The number of aggravated assaults for 2014 – so far – was also almost five percent higher than the same period in 2012. Interestingly, Beck noted that the aggravated assault growth began just recently, in May, rather than being spread-out evenly across the first half of the year.
Interestingly, the apparent growth in reported violent crimes is the first trend of its kind since 2003. Up until 2014, most mid-year reviews saw declines in violent crimes.
The perception that crime is up or down can affect how crimes are reported. Residents may be more likely to report crimes if they believe crime is up, for instance, or less likely to make a report if they believe crime is not currently a huge concern.
Anyone accused of a violent crime in Los Angeles should know what they are up against. Contact the Law Offices of Jonathan I. Kelman at 310.286.1218 for more information about defending against charges of violent crime.