LAPD Reports Drastic Crime Reduction in Northeast Despite Reduced Gang Unit

As of this week, the LAPD Northeast Division’s gang enforcement unit is back to a full complement after having worked at a greatly reduced capacity throughout the last six months.

As previously reported on Patch, about half of the uniformed officers in Northeast Division’s gang impact team defected from the unit by declining to sign federally mandated financially disclosure forms.

Click to see Patch’s original story on the gang unit defections. Follow for Tuesday’s follow-up on the hiring of more than a dozen new uniformed officers to Northeast Division’s gang impact team.

Capt. William Murphy told Patch that Northeast was able to drastically reduce the incidence of violent crime in its neighborhoods--which include Highland Park, Mount Washington and Eagle Rock—despite working with a diminished gang unit.

According to COMPSTAT, which is LAPD’s data tracking division, violent crime is down by 30 percent through the first six months of 2011, compared to the previous year.

The biggest decreases came in the categories of rape, robbery and aggravated assault. As of July 2, 10 rapes had been reported across Northeast Division, compared to 21 at this point last year. Robberies decreased by 61 reports and aggravated assaults have so far dropped by 65 reports. Homicides remained even, with a total of 4 being reported through the first six months of the last two years.

“We never stopped working gangs,” Murphy said. “Whether it was by foot beat, bike patrols, special problem units—that's why we still lead the city in violent crime reduction at 30 percent.”

Of the 143 aggravated assaults reported across Northeast Division, 43 were reported to have occurred in Highland Park. Of the four homicides, one was reported in Highland Park. Eight of the Northeast Division’s 161 robberies were reported in Highland Park, and one of its 21 reported rapes originated in the neighborhood.