Homicides in L.A. Up 5% in First 3 Months of 2004

While overall violent crimes continued to fall, homicides rose by 5% citywide during the first three months of this year, raising questions on whether the Los Angeles Police Department can attain Chief William J. Bratton’s ambitious goal of reducing slayings in 2004 by at least 20%.

Bratton said Wednesday that the rising homicide rate, the first such upswing since he took command of the LAPD in 2002, was cause for concern. But the chief said it was too early to tell whether it jeopardizes his crime reduction goals.

“We are not where we want to be,” Bratton said. But, noting that the department achieved its goal last year of cutting homicides by 25%, he added: “We are a lot further along from where we started.”

The new crime statistics, released this week, found that overall, violent crimes fell 13% from Jan. 1 through March 27. There were 9,857 violent crimes this year, compared with 11,330 in the first three months of 2003.

“While homicides are slightly up, the number of shootings and shooting victims is markedly down, as is violent crime,” Bratton said.

During this period, the Police Department reported, 126 people were killed -- six more than in the first quarter of 2003.

Bratton said the department’s efforts to reduce killings have been hampered because he has not received money to hire more police officers and buy needed high-technology equipment. The department might consider reevaluating his crime reduction numbers in the near future, the chief said, but for now he thought the goals were still realistic.

Because of the budget problems, the LAPD has frozen hiring and promotions, causing increased tension in the department as officers try to meet Bratton’s rising expectations, he said.

The police academy, which for months has halted admissions, has one class scheduled to begin this month. That will yield 67 new police recruits, but no more for the rest of the fiscal year, Bratton said. Meanwhile, 10 to 15 officers a month have been leaving the department. There are about 9,200 officers on the job.

Much of the LAPD’s approach to crime this year is built around Assistant Chief George Gascon’s new plan to target the 10% of criminals that officials believe are responsible for about half of the more serious crimes.

Bratton said the department is focusing most heavily on a small percentage of violent gang members who he says are responsible for more than 50% of the city’s homicides.

The LAPD also is gearing up for the summer, when violent crime traditionally grows. A recent spike in gang-related murders is in part due to unseasonably hot weather that put more victims and assailants out of their homes, Bratton said.

Homicides in the San Fernando Valley through Saturday were up 64% -- 23 compared with 16 for the first quarter of last year -- while violent crime was down nearly 15%. The Van Nuys Division alone has seen its homicides surge from two last year to 11 as of Wednesday, according to LAPD statistics.

Bratton called the Valley homicide spike “a fluke,” but said he was concerned about the lack of improvement in anti-gang and anti-drug activities there.

Gang and narcotics units have made fewer arrests this year or about the same number in the Valley during the first three months of this year compared with 2003. But by contrast, a special enforcement bureau that handles cases citywide has seen its arrests rise by 25% compared with last year, Bratton said.

Los Angeles’ South Bureau continues to post the highest raw numbers in terms of homicides and violent crimes.

Homicides so far are up nearly 11%, with 51 murders compared with 46 at this time last year. The number of killings in the 77th Division climbed from 14 to 19 -- a rise Bratton attributed in part to the fact that the area has 34 fewer officers than last year.

Placing 150 extra officers in the South Bureau last year reduced murders by half. But the LAPD doesn’t have the resources to continue the effort this year, Bratton said.

The chief said whatever the final tally, no other big-city police department showed the ambition of the LAPD. “Which other department set goals like these when they are getting cut back?”

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Homicides up, total crimes down

While Los Angeles’ overall crime rate continued to decline through the first quarter of the year, homicides showed a slight increase, the first such rise during Police Chief William J. Bratton’s tenure.

*--* 1st qtr. 1st qtr. 1st qtr. % change % change 2002 2003 2004* since ’02 since ’03 Homicide 151 120 126 -16.6% 5% Rape 292 260 254 -13% -2.3% Robbery 4,222 3,856 3,425 -18.9% -11.2% Burglary 5,761 5,797 5,344 -7.2% -7.8% Grand theft auto 7,558 7,540 7,244 -4.2% -3.9% All crimes** 43,942 42,939 39,904 -9.2% -7.1%

*--*

*Through March 27

**Includes other crimes not listed here

Source: LAPD