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Politics Jun 24, 2023
The LA controller mapped over 11 years of arrests made under the city's anti-camping law. | Image courtesy of the Los Angeles City Controller's Office
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An analysis of arrest data related to Los Angeles’ anti-camping law showed that Black Angelenos were disproportionately impacted, according to a report released by the City Controller’s Office, which Friday has drawn the attention of Los Angeles Police Department officials.
On Thursday, City Controller Kenneth Mejia released a map and analysis detailing arrests made under city code 41.18, which criminalizes sitting, lying, sleeping or placing personal property in the public right-of-way. The report highlighted that enforcement of 41.18 resulted in the arrest of 15,654 Black Angelenos, or 42.5%, while only comprising 8% of the general population of the city.
In a statement, Mejia said arrest data from January 2012 to March 2023 was obtained from LAPD. The data showed that enforcement of 41.18 resulted in the arrests of 12,495, or 34%, of white people; 7,552, or 20.5%, of Hispanic/Latino people and 887, or 2.4%, of other ethnicities.
The LAPD confirmed Friday afternoon that it was aware of the report published by the City Controller’s Office.
Chief Michel Moore in a statement said the department will respond to the report once it has had the opportunity to review its content.
“It is the mission of the Los Angeles Police Department to provide for public safety including protecting those most vulnerable,” Moore said in a statement.
Moore continued to say that “enforcement of this section has evolved over the last decade in response to a number of factors.” He concluded by saying, “LAPD remains committed to work arm-in-arm with service providers, elected leaders and community members to provide housing services and ensuring the safe access to public spaces particularly in sensitive areas such as schools and childcare centers.”
The controller’s report also indicated that a concentration of arrests occurred in Council District 14, specifically in Skid Row and downtown Los Angeles, followed by the 11th District and 13th District, which include Venice and Hollywood.
All other council districts had less than 3% of arrests each.
In total, the data showed LAPD arrested more than 36,000 Angelenos pursuant to 41.18. The average amount of anti-camping arrests per year from 2012 to 2018 was approximately 4,781, while between 2019 to 2022 the average number of arrests per year was 662.
The City Controller’s Office cites the 2018 court ruling in the case Martin v. Boise, barring cities from enforcing anti-camping laws without offering adequate shelter, as the reason for less arrests being reported starting in 2019.
According to the report, enforcement of 41.18 from January 2012 to May 2023 resulted in LAPD officers citing an “overwhelming majority” of misdemeanors — approximately 84%.
Violations of 41.18 can be cited as either infractions or misdemeanors, according to the City Controller’s Office. Infractions can lead up to a fine of up to $2,500 and misdemeanors can result in a fine plus up to six months in jail.
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