Major Crimes in L.A. Fell 7.2% in 1987

By STEPHEN BRAUN

Jan. 9, 1988 12 AM PT

Times Staff Writer

Despite a record surge in murders linked to street gangs, major crimes reported in Los Angeles declined 7.2% in 1987, marking the sharpest annual reduction of the decade, the Police Department reported Friday.

Police officials said that in 1987, every major reported crime category showed some degree of lessening from 1986 levels, except for auto theft and aggravated assault. Although gangs committed a record 205 homicides last year, the city’s murder total dropped by 3.4%. There were 813 men, women and children killed in 1987 as compared to 842 the previous year.

Police spokesman Cmdr. William Booth said a steep 17.6% dip in home and commercial burglaries was a prominent factor in the overall decline. Burglary is traditionally one of the most frequent crimes committed. Last year, there were 52,912 reported burglaries.

The statistics showed aggravated assault increased 3% and auto thefts climbed 1.7%. Auto theft constituted the most frequent crime, with 61,676 cases reported.

All other crime categories fell. In addition to the 3.4% decline in homicides and the 17.6% drop in burglaries, rapes were down 7%. Other declines were robberies, 13%; burglaries from autos, 5.7%; thefts from autos, 10%, and all other thefts, 7.8%.

Explaining the overall dip in crime, Booth said, “The biggest difference was that we had more officers on the streets.”

More than 250 new officers were hired last year, and the city authorized $9 million in overtime pay, allowing the Los Angeles Police Department to allot extra manpower for high-crime areas, he said.

“We’re obviously hoping to improve on last year’s performance,” he said.

Booth noted that after Los Angeles showed a general rise in crime between 1980 and 1983, there were slight annual drops until 1986, when major crimes jumped by 5.8%.

Compared to the City of Los Angeles, the crime situation was slightly different last year in the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County and in those cities patroled by the Sheriff’s Department. Overall crime was down by 4% in the county between January and November of 1987, compared to the same period in 1986, said Deputy Bill Wehner, a Sheriff’s Department spokesman.

But in county areas, violent crimes showed a 6% increase in the reporting period, led by a jump in homicides from 258 in 1986 to 265 in 1987. Assaults also rose 12%, while most other crimes dropped.

Show of Force

Both city and county law enforcement officials said they were encouraged by the year-end figures. Booth said that in addition to a greater show of police force on city streets, a growing interest by city residents in neighborhood watch and other citizen-participation, anti-crime programs played a strong role in the decreases in burglaries and overall crimes.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Sherman Block said the success of neighborhood watch programs was also the major factor in a 13% decrease in burglaries in territory patrolled by his department.

He added that there was a darker side to acute citizen awareness of burglaries.

“It can sometimes mean that people are less willing to leave their homes because of fears that they may be burglarized,” Block said.

Noting that narcotics users can be linked to 85% of all burglary cases, Booth said that special operations to crack down on street drug activities last year may have helped reduce the number of burglaries.

Despite those efforts, police have reported little progress in fighting the drug and territory wars in South-Central Los Angeles and other areas plagued by youth gangs. Next week, police and city officials say they will unveil new efforts to combat gang warfare.

CRIME IN LOS ANGELES

Here is a list of crime rates for Los Angeles Police Department divisions, comparing major crimes for 1986 and 1987:

Central: -12.0%

Hollenbeck: -3.3%

Newton: -3.5%

Northeast: -10.9%

Rampart: -5.7%

Harbor: -3.1%

Southwest: -8.1%

77th Street: -5.3%

Southeast: -6.3%

Hollywood: -13.4%