(The Center Square) – The crime statistics for the Los Angeles Police Department are still offline after months of transitioning to a new crime reporting system the department was supposed to have adopted in 2021.
With LAPD verbally reporting a significant increase in crime in the first six months of 2024, law enforcement experts warn the lack of crime data transparency could conceal rising crime risk for residents.
Last month, LAPD told The Center Square there were 438 gunshot victims and homicides were up 11%, robberies up 17.6%, motor vehicle theft up 5.2%, and burglaries up 2.4% year-over-year for January 1 through June 1 of 2024 compared to 2023. The Center Square filed a public information request for data on additional crime types on June 5, including property crimes such as shoplifting, with LAPD finally responding on July 1 that the department “does not house the records,” “is in the process of searching for the requested records,” and will provide an update by August 1.
LAPD started transitioning to the National Incident-Based Reporting System, which allows up to 10 crimes to be reported per incident, on March 1, 2024; the system it currently uses, which counts only the most serious crime in an incident, was phased out nationally in 2021. LAPD received a $1.1 million grant in 2016 for its transition, and another $2.2 million in 2022 and $3.5 million in 2023 shared with the San Francisco Police Department and the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department.
When asked about a timeline for when crime statistics would return, a LAPD public information officer told The Center Square “I don’t know how long it’s going to be.”
With the state’s three largest law enforcement agencies using the summary, not incident system, the state’s crime rates — California violent crime is rising as national crime trends down — California crime could very well be much worse than is currently being reported.
Many law enforcement experts blame “progressive” policing and prosecution policies for much of the recent increase in crime, and suggest the hidden data is putting citizens in harm’s way.
“Progressive electeds get to conceal evidence of their failed policies and stay in office longer,” said former Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva to The Center Square. “Residents lose big time as they remain unaware of the rising risk.”
