LA homicides drop 16.9% so far in 2022, says LAPD chief

Eleven fewer homicides were reported in Los Angeles during the first month of 2022 than during the same period in 2021, a drop of nearly 17%, Police Chief Michel Moore said Tuesday.

Overall violent crime, however, increased 3.5%, Moore told the Los Angeles Police Commission.

The city had a nearly 12% year-over-year climb in homicides in 2021, bringing it to levels not seen since 2006. Violent crime increased 3.9% and property crimes rose by 4.2%. The number of people shot rose by 9%. Other major cities across the United States also experienced major increases in violent crime at that time, and many of the cities had sharper increases than L.A.

Moore also repeated his concern Tuesday about the increase in robberies involving firearms, putting that number at 35%.

“So our efforts continue to focus on those gun trafficking and those that are providing guns into the hands of individuals that are now committing these robberies in the street and in some of our commercial locations,” Moore said.

He cited a growing number of robberies occurring in commercial markets, mini markets, gas stations and liquor stores, saying there has been a 62% increase in the number of robberies involving those types of markets.

Property crime has increased 2.6% this year, but there has been a “slight reduction in the number of burglaries and thefts from vehicles.”

Overall burglaries have increased 3.1% and personal thefts have increased 7.2% compared to the same period last year, Moore said.

While the number of personal thefts has increased from the same period last year, Moore noted that it remains substantially lower than it was two years ago, which the department attributes to COVID-19’s impact on retail operations.

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