LAPD: Property crimes drop, but homicides and robberies are on the rise

Property crime is trending down, but homicides, robberies and burglaries have increased, Los Angeles Police Department Interim Chief Dominic Choi said Tuesday.

As of April 20, property crime was down 4.1% and violent crimes decreased by 7% compared to the same period last year, according to Choi, who spoke at Tuesday’s Board of Police Commissioners meeting.

However, there was an 9.3% increase in homicides, according to Choi, who noted the surge is being reported from LAPD’s South Bureau. He assured commissioners the department is making efforts to address the situation.

Cho said the number of victims who were shot continued to decrease for a second week in a row.

“We’re seeing a negative number or decreased number in the last two weeks, so cityside our victims-shot incidents have decreased by 8.5% compared to 2023, and by 20.8% compared to 2022,” Choi said. “I’m hopeful that this trend will continue with our efforts related to recovering and apprehending criminals involved in gun-related crimes.”

Total robberies have increased by 10.5% compared to 2023, Choi said.

Robberies involving firearms have decreased from 12% to 2.3% due in part to the department’s focus on fighting these type of crimes, according to Choi.

Burglaries saw a 0.4% uptick in comparison to 2023, but commercial burglaries decreased 1.3% compared to last year, Choi said. Residential burglaries also saw an increase of 1.8%.

There was a slight decrease in motor vehicle thefts, coming down from a high 9.6% to 5.5%, according to Choi. The interim chief said Kias, Chevrolets and Hyundais are the top targets for car thieves.

Choi also noted that as of April 22, the department’s sworn officers stood at 8,832, and civilian personnel stood at 2,645. LAPD’s reserve officers remained stable at 443.