Local News in Brief : Gang Crimes Understated

Several law enforcement officials who attended a summit meeting on gang violence last week admitted that political pressure in their communities has led to an under-reporting of gang-related crimes, Los Angeles County Sheriff Sherman Block said.

In a report to the Board of Supervisors, Block called the meeting a success and said that the participants recognized that the number of gang-related crimes in the county is increasing. But Block told the board that the actual number could be much higher because several law enforcement officials said “political pressure” had resulted in some crimes not being listed as gang related.

Afterwards, Block declined to identify the law enforcement officials or their communities but explained, “What they admitted was that in some communities, statistical profiles were set up so they could report the crimes but it would not come across as gang related.

“The obvious intent was to reduce the potential fear level of people coming into the community,” he said. Block added that he and other law enforcement officials will press for “more accurate, objective reporting” of gang violence statistics.