LA city officials discuss new crime stats

To address this, this led to significant arrests and the disruption of burglary rings. Now, burglaries are down 41% in the valley compared to last year. We've also targeted street racing, copper wire theft, and worked with partners to get dangerous drugs off the street. But we know that the best way to fight crime is to prevent it in the first place. And that's why I created the first ever Mayor's Office of Community Safety. We've expanded investments in violence prevention and intervention, strengthened the gang reduction and youth development programs, and summer night lights, and launched Safe Passage to protect students traveling to and from school. And we're seeing results. Gang-related homicides have dropped by more than 50% since 2022. We've also tripled public investments in civilian crisis response. Our unarmed responders have responded to more than 125,000 calls from the LAPD, connecting Angelenos with services while freeing up police officers to focus on more serious crime. Because building a safer LA means investing in prevention, intervention, and the right response when people need help. But it's important to be clear that our work is definitely not finished. I know that hearing that crime is down does not mean that Angelenos automatically feel safe, especially if someone you know has experienced a crime or there has been a crime in your neighborhood. Neighborhoods and communities still face many challenges, and that's why we're investing in communities citywide. And it's why just last week I launched the first ever unified call center for unarmed crisis response. I'm also working to hire more 911 dispatchers to further reduce response times and modernize the city's overall emergency response. These investments are working, crime down to the 1960 levels. We must continue this progress. We cannot go backwards, and I will never stop fighting to make Los Angeles safer. I want to thank all of the brave men and women of the LAPD and our community safety teams and partners for all they do every day to keep Angelenos safe. I want to thank our leader on the City Council, Councilmember John Lee, Chair of the Council's Public Safety Committee, Councilmember Amelita Padilla, LAPD Assistant Chief Rem Kunas, and Rob Glushon, President of the Encino Property Owners Association, for being here today. and i just want to say just think about uh four years ago i remember in 2022 when i was coming into office we had smash and grabs all the time i don't know when the last time there has been a smash and grab robbery in stores so overall our city is safer we always have more to do and with that i'm proud to introduce the leader on our city council the chair of the public safety committee John Lee. Thank you Mayor Bass. Good morning everyone. Today is an important opportunity to recognize some good news for the City of Los Angeles. We've heard the numbers and they speak for themselves. The reductions we're seeing in violent crimes and other major crimes are significant and they represent real progress for our communities. But I want to take a moment to recognize the people behind those numbers. The men and women the LAPD who show up every day respond when residents call for help, investigate crimes, and work with our communities to keep our neighborhoods safe. The work isn't always easy, and it doesn't always get the recognition it deserves, but today we're seeing the results of that hard work, and I think it is important that we acknowledge it. As chair of the City Council's Public Safety Committee, I've been consistent in my belief that public safety must remain one of our city's top priorities, and as a big part that responsibility is making sure that our officers and first responders have the staffing, resources, and support they need to do their jobs effectively. Because when we invest in the people responsible for protecting our communities, we're making a direct investment in the safety and the quality of life of every Angeleno. I also want to give thanks to Mayor Bass and give her credit for her continued support of our officers and her commitment to public safety. She's been a strong partner in this work, and I think she deserves recognition for that. The progress we're celebrating today didn't happen by accident. It takes consistent leadership, investment in our first responders, and a shared commitment to keeping our communities safe. I appreciate the Mayor's leadership, and I look forward to continuing to work alongside her to build on these results. And ultimately, that's what today's announcement is about. what this progress means for the people of Los Angeles. Because the real success isn't just that crime is down, it's that fewer Angelenos are becoming victims of crime in the first place. It's families feeling safer in their neighborhoods, business owners having greater peace of mind, and residents knowing that their safety is a priority. Seeing this kind of progress both in the San Fernando Valley and across the city of Los Angeles is something that we should all be proud of. I want to thank Mayor Karen Bass, Chief McDonnell, the leadership of the LAPD, and especially the officers doing this work every single day. These statistics are reminders of what we can accomplish when we make public safety a shared priority and give the people responsible for keeping our city safe the support that they deserve. As chair, I'm proud to be a partner in that effort, and I look forward to building on this success. Thank you, everybody. And I'd like to introduce my partner on the city council, Council Member Imelda Padilla. Good morning, everyone, and thank you all for being here. Welcome to the 6th District, the heart of the Valley and the community of Van Nuys. And I just want to say that I'm glad we're here today, because right now I'm standing with individuals who are all about the work that I don't think we take enough time to do this enough. we take a step back and say you know what it's time for us to celebrate what we've accomplished so I'm glad that we're all here and there we are showcasing what our collaboration and the fact that we work together you know brings to the table and brings into the the streets of Los Angeles so I want to thank you Mayor Bass all of my colleagues that are here today like John Lee and our LAPD Van Nuys division officers for your continued dedication to keeping our community safe we've heard some encouraging statistics today and I'm grateful to see the progress across the entire city and especially the San Fernando Valley but I want to highlight something equally important public safety is not just about being responsive to crime it's about creating the conditions that help prevent it in the first place and here in council district 6 that is that is exactly what we've been working on to deliver one of the most fundamental ways we can improve neighborhood safety is by ensuring our streets for example are well lit which is why just two years ago Van Nuys was selected as a pilot location for solar-powered lights and I was so proud to showcase that with Mayor Bass and we have known that this initiative was so successful that we are now expanding it across Los Angeles and more recently our office worked with city partners to secure much-needed street lighting along Pendleton Street in Sun Valley a neighborhood that has been waiting for these critical improvements for years. These are investments that matter because something as simple as a streetlight can make a meaningful difference for a family walking home, a resident coming back to work, or a neighbor looking out for their community. When we invest in our streets, we are investing in the safety and well-being of our people who live there. And infrastructure is only one part of the equation. Deterring crime is also about building a community of trust where neighbors know one another, look out for each other, and feel empowered to speak up when something is wrong, which is why my office continues to work directly with PD, LAPD, to establish neighborhood watches across every city. Every community in CD6. We want to strengthen the relationships between residents, our office, and the officers who serve their neighborhood. So I want to thank PD for always being willing to work collaboratively. When residents know who those police officers are it just completely changes the makeup and the format of how we work together and if there is something that I have repeatedly mentioned about what I appreciate about working with Mayor Bass is your ability to collaborate willing to collaborate and that's exactly what we also get with our PD officers and that's exactly why we are also seeing a deterrence in crime because we push for those neighborhood watches so again none this happens in isolation it's because we are working together to address neighborhood concerns and connect the residents to feel safe in a time when it's uh it was not very fun to hear about those uh robberies that were happening out here in the San Fernando Valley so to hear that they are down by 41 percent only shows that with intentionality and partnership things can get addressed so thank Thank you everyone who's here today. And again, I'm glad that we're taking a step back and celebrating our success because when we are so immersed in the work, that's what we do, we work. But it's good to take a step back and recognize that we've been working hard together. Thank you all so much for being here. Let's continue to make Los Angeles safer. And with that, I would like to invite to the podium LAPD Assistant Chief, Mike Rimkunas. I hope I said that right. Okay, good morning. Let me start by thanking everyone for joining us here today. Mayor Bass, thank you as always for your leadership and unwavering commitment over the past four years to prioritizing safety. The exceptional progress in fighting crime that we are pleased to announce today is the result of a comprehensive approach by city leadership, combining strategic deployment, data-driven policing, technology, accountability, and strong partnership with the communities we serve. This continued decline in crime demonstrates what can be achieved when city leadership, law enforcement, community organizations, businesses, and residents work together toward a shared goal. Year-to-date homicides in 2026 are down 9 percent compared to the same period last year. That's 18 fewer lives lost to violence. That's 18 more people with a future and 18 fewer families grieving the loss of a loved one. Last year, Los Angeles recorded its fewest homicides since 1966. Based on our year to year data progress, we are on pace to exceed that historic achievement. Across the city, violent crime has declined 4% with 775 fewer victims, while property crime has fallen 12% with 8,588 fewer reported offenses. These are more than numbers on a screen or on a paper. They mean fewer lives shattered by violence, fewer grieving families, and thousands of Angelenos who did not become victims. In the San Fernando Valley, burglaries are down 41% year-to-date. That's 1,526 fewer homes and businesses broken into. This is a sharp turnaround from the recent past when residents, business owners, and families in the Valley communities were concerned by burglary trends and demanded action. The decline in burglaries which is shared across the city reflects a sustained effort to deploy resources strategically, strengthen coordination with our regional partners, target and dismantle sophisticated organized criminal networks, and work closely with with the communities most affected. These crime reductions did not happen by chance. They reflect the focused, deliberate work of the men and women of the Los Angeles Police Department who combined targeted violence reduction strategies, intelligence-led policing, Comstat-driven deployment, and technology to identify crime patterns and allocate resources where they make the greatest difference. They also reflect the contributions of community members, neighborhood councils, faith leaders, business owners, community-based organizations and public safety partners who work together to prevent violence and make our neighborhoods safer. We recognize that the people of Los Angeles measure safety not only by crime rates but also by what they see and experience in their daily lives. That is why we have expanded our efforts to address issues that affect quality of life and community confidence. We are making meaningful progress in addressing illegal street takeovers that endanger motorists, spectators, and entire neighborhoods. Through coordinated enforcement, strategic operations, and regional partnerships, we are holding participants accountable in disrupting these dangerous events before they even happen. We have strengthened coordination with city partners to address addiction and connect individuals to services, treatment, housing resources, and pathways to recovery. Public safety and public health are closely connected and supporting people in crisis helps create healthier, safer communities for all Angelenos. We have also worked closely with our community partners to combat graffiti and vandalism that impact neighborhoods and some of our city's most iconic landmarks and public spaces. These efforts restore community pride, preserve public assets, and send a clear message that disorder and neglect will not be accepted as the norm declining crime rates tell an important story but the true measure of progress is whether people feel safe walking in their streets operating their businesses visiting their parks and raising their families in our city we are proud of this progress but we know there is more work ahead the Los Angeles Police Department remains committed to sustaining these gains driving down crime further and earning the trust of the people we serve every single day under the mayor's leadership and through dedication of our officers, the collaboration of our city partners, and the commitment of the people of Los Angeles, we are showing that we can achieve this as one. Today's progress belongs to all of Los Angeles. Together, we can carry it forward and keep building a city where everyone feels safe, supported, and proud to call it home. Thank you. All right, you are listening to this is earlier today, LAPD among those, out there with LA Mayor Karen Bass as they announce crime statistics down across the city. The mayor's office says that their highlight is a drop in homicides, 47 percent. But it's important to note that that 47 percent drop in homicides is over the past four years, from October of 2022 to October of this year. Meantime, year to year, year to date, According to LAPD, violent or rather homicides are down 9 percent. Violent crime year to date, 4 percent reduction. Property crime, 12 percent again year to date. And in the San Fernando Valley, burglaries are down 41 percent, according to officials out there. And again, that is just year to date in the last year. SIGNIFICANT NEWS, OF COURSE, IF YOU HAVE BEEN A VICTIM OF CRIME IN THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES.