Gang-Related Crimes Double, but Area Is Safe, Police Report : Statistics: Like other parts of Los Angeles, the Northeast has experienced a rise in crime, but it’s not as bad as other regions of the Southland, police say.

The number of serious crimes in Northeast Los Angeles increased by nearly 13% last year over 1988 and gang-related crimes doubled, according to statistics released by the Northeast Division of the Los Angeles Police Department.

But Northeast Division police--whose record of arrests was the second fastest growing in the city--said they have preserved the Northeast area as a relatively safe “bedroom community” despite the jump in crime. Police said arrests grew nearly 25% last year compared to the previous year.

“I wouldn’t describe it as worrisome because I don’t want to alarm the community, but you can’t look at those statistics and not be concerned,” said Capt. Frank Patchett, commander of the Northeast Division. “But the light at the end of the tunnel is that we’re getting more officers into the field and making more arrests.”

Patchett attributed the increase in crime to overcrowding of courts and jails, which has allowed many of those arrested in the Northeast area to return quickly to the streets, he said. He also cited increased gang activity as a factor.

About 17,084 crimes were committed last year in the 29.2-square-mile Northeast area, which includes Eagle Rock, Atwater, Glassell Park, Highland Park, Los Feliz and Mt. Washington. That figure was up 12.6% from 15,166 crimes in 1988.

Two types of serious crimes decreased in 1989: the number of reported rapes dropped slightly, from 75 in 1988 to 72 last year, while the number of residential burglaries dropped from 3,327 incidents to 3,093.

The incidence of crimes in all other categories increased. Homicides went up from 24 in 1988 to 38 in 1989, while robberies jumped from 855 to 1,030. There were 1,760 aggravated assaults in 1989, up from 1,486 the year before.

About 4,515 cars were stolen in 1989 from Northeast Los Angeles, compared with 3,661 in 1988. The number of burglaries and thefts from cars increased, from 3,688 incidents in 1988 to 4,154 last year.

But, according to police, the most remarkable increase came in gang crimes, such as street robberies, aggravated assaults and homicides.

Gang-related crimes, in which the crime is committed by gang members working together, rose 98%--from 138 in 1988 to 273 last year. Gang-motivated crimes, in which gang members are involved but not necessarily working as a gang, went up 116%--from 93 in 1988 to 201 in 1989.

“Some people would look at that and say ‘My God!’ and would think it’s bad because the crime has doubled,” said Detective Richard Contreras of the Los Angeles Police Department’s gang information section. “But it’s all in how you compare it. Crime everywhere has increased. In fact, Northeast is not one of the busy, busy divisions.”

South Los Angeles, which was barraged by nearly 2,700 gang crimes last year, and some parts of the San Fernando Valley are being hit harder by gangs and violent crime than is Northeast Los Angeles, Contreras said.

Northeast gangs indulge mainly in graffiti and street robberies, not in drive-by shootings and drug trafficking, he said. The area’s hills, winding streets and nicer residential communities invite more burglaries and robberies, but make fighting and mayhem between gangs more difficult.

Still, Northeast Los Angeles has nearly 30 gangs, including a growing number of new Asian groups, Contreras said. Although many of the gangs established themselves years ago, crime statistics indicate that other gangs are now moving in.

“When you look at the raw numbers and compare them to other parts of the city, you can’t help but think we’re in good shape,” Patchett said. But, he said, the percentage increases in crime show a different trend. “And it’s the trend that we’re worried about.”

Northeast Division police said they made 24.3% more arrests of juveniles and adults in 1989 than in 1988, an increase from 2,187 to 2,718. The juvenile arrest rate itself rose 28% last year. Only the West Los Angeles Division had a greater increase--24.7%--in arrests.

Although police have not yet resorted to barricading drug-plagued streets, they said they are employing other methods to stop drug trafficking and warfare by gangs--such as cleaning up graffiti, targeting repeat offenders and high-crime areas, and letting gang members know they have been identified.

“You’ve got a bedroom community in Northeast Los Angeles,” said Lt. Richard LeGarra, commanding officer of the Northeast Division detectives. “If nothing else, people in the community should feel very assured that police officers are on the street making arrests and putting people in jail. In the total spectrum of crime, the police department is doing a tremendous job.”