Calls for Transparency as LAPD’s Crime Statistics Stay Offline Despite Multi-Million Dollar Upgrades
Despite millions of dollars being spent, the LAPD crime statistics remained offline and the site remained dark since March. Months after the department was meant to have adopted a new crime reporting system in 2021, the Los Angeles Police Department’s crime data are still offline.
Police in Los Angeles have reportedly reported a sharp spike in crime in the first half of 2024, and specialists in the field are warning that people face an even greater threat due to the secrecy surrounding crime statistics.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), 438 people were shot and killed between January 1, 2024, and June 1, 2024, compared to the same period in 2023. Robberies were up 17.6%, motor vehicle theft was up 5.2%, and burglaries were up 2.4%.
The Center Square requested data on additional types of crimes, including property crimes like shoplifting, through a public information request on June 5. The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) did not have the records, but they are currently searching for them and will provide an update by August 1. The Center Square finally received a response from the department on July 1.
The present system that the Los Angeles Police Department utilizes, which counts only the most serious crime in an occurrence, was phased out nationally in 2021. On March 1, 2024, the department began converting to the National occurrence-Based Reporting System, which permits up to ten crimes to be reported per incident.
In 2016, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) was awarded a grant of $1.1 million to aid in its transformation. In 2022, the department earned an additional $2.2 million, and in 2023, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and the Sheriff’s Department of Los Angeles each received $3.5 million.
Upon being queried about the expected return date of crime statistics, a public information officer from the Los Angeles Police Department informed The Center Square “The exact duration is something I am not privy to.”
There is a good chance that the actual crime rate in California is substantially higher than what is being recorded, given that the three major law enforcement agencies in the state use the summary system rather than the incident system. This is especially concerning given that violent crime in California is on the rise while the national crime trend is declining.
The secret data is placing citizens in danger, according to many law enforcement specialists, who blame “progressive” police and punishment methods for most of the recent spike in crime.
“Progressive electeds get to conceal evidence of their failed policies and stay in office longer,” said Alex Villanueva, a former Los Angeles County Sheriff, in an interview with The Center Square. “The growing danger goes unnoticed by the residents, who suffer greatly as a result.”
