Valley Poses Distinct Police Challenges

At first glance, a 64% jump in slayings across the San Fernando Valley this year appeared to signal a setback for the Los Angeles Police Department, which has made lowering homicides and serious crime its top priority.

But police commanders, while concerned, called the jump -- an additional nine dead in the Valley in a city with more than 500 homicides annually -- a fluke.

The more persistent policing problem, and the LAPD’s most daunting challenge in this area, remains property crime, say police and political leaders.

So much so that LAPD Assistant Chief George Gascon has set a target of a 20% reduction in serious crime -- including burglary, car theft and larceny -- in the Valley by the end of the year.

The goal can be achieved, Gascon said, as the LAPD decentralizes and allows divisions to use more refined and creative crime-fighting strategies.

“Property and quality-of-life crimes define the Valley,” said Los Angeles City Councilman Dennis Zine, a former LAPD officer who represents parts of the West Valley. “But property crimes don’t get the publicity, and there’s been almost an acceptance of it.”

And Capt. James Miller, who saw homicides jump in the Van Nuys Division from two to 11 through March could have been speaking for all five division commanders across the Valley when he said: “We are essentially a property crimes division. That’s what drives our ... crime numbers.”

The Valley had 23 homicides through the first quarter of 2004, up from 14 in the first quarter last year. Yet total property crime fell about 4% in the first three months of the year. In the city, such crime fell 5%.

Between January and March, the Valley recorded more than 10,000 property crimes, including 2,075 burglaries, 2,351 car thefts, 3,713 vehicle break-ins and 2,278 personal thefts.

By contrast, downtown Los Angeles, patrolled by the LAPD’s Central Bureau, reported about 6,800 property crimes.

South Bureau, which leads the rest of the city in violent crime and homicides, had about 5,700 property-related incidents over the same period.

Deputy Chief Ronald Bergmann said the Valley has made strides, pointing to a 13% reduction in violent crime through March. But the size of the area -- 220 square miles and 1.4 million people -- presents unique challenges.

Officers in the South Bureau, in comparison, patrol 67 square miles containing 661,000 residents. The Central Bureau polices 67 square miles, with 1.2 million residents, and the West Bureau covers 122 square miles, with a population of 961,000.

Police must contend with repeat offenders such as the burglary suspect arrested last month in Foothill Division who officers say is suspected in 45 residential break-ins.

Bergmann cited the arrest of another man believed to have committed 450 burglaries of garages in the north Valley over the last 18 months.

Earlier this year, Assistant Chief Gascon ordered officers to concentrate police resources on the 10% of all criminals who, he said, commit 50% of the crimes.

In January, he began holding daily conference calls with commanders across the city to discuss crime trends and encourage the development of proactive crime-fighting strategies.

To cut auto theft, Gascon urged commanders to contact owners of the most frequently stolen cars -- Toyotas and Hondas -- to warn them to take steps to protect their vehicles. Gascon also called for officers to target repeat offenders.

That’s a task made more difficult because Gascon says criminals convicted of nonviolent offenses are serving a fraction of their sentences in county jails before they return to the streets.

Bergmann said the Valley has stepped up work by its local property crimes detail and has attempted to revive a pawnshop detail. It also is making better use of so-called bait cars and bait bicycles to catch would-be thieves and record their crimes in progress.

Still, the Valley’s crime problem is not just homegrown. LAPD detectives said that they have seen an upswing in crime carried out by South Los Angeles gang members targeting Valley jewelry stores, banks and homes.

“We’re a bedroom community, and the pickings are good,” Bergmann said. “But as fast as we work to put ‘em away, somebody steps in to take their place.”