Police: Crime Down 7 Percent in Pacific Division; Larger Decrease in Venice

Crime in the Los Angeles Police Department's Pacific Division, which includes Venice and Mar Vista, has dropped 7 percent compared to this time last year, police said Tuesday night at the Venice Neighborhood Council.

Capt. Brian Johnson, commanding officer of the Pacific Division's patrol units, told the council's board that crime was down 13.7 percent in the Venice Basic Car A11 patrol area that hugs the beach and dropped 12.7 percent in the Venice Basic Car A13 patrol area around the Oakwood neighborhood.

The statistics compared year-to-date Part I crimes for the period ending July 14 to the same time last year, Johnson said. The 7 percent reduction division-wide was ahead of the goal for a 5 percent annual reduction in crime.

Part I crimes consist of violent crimes, including homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault and property crimes, including burglary, grand theft auto, burglary from vehicle and personal theft.

The Oakwood-Venice Task Force has been bolstered by 17 additional officers and there are about 50 officers assigned to the task force for the summer, which is about one-third of the division's patrol resources, Johnson said.

Pacific Division crime stats for the period between June 10 and July 7 reported a 4 percent reduction in violent crimes compared to the May 13 to June 9 reporting period and a 14 percent decrease in property crimes. There were 973 total arrests in the period ending July 7, a 4 percent increase from the previous period.