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The city of Los Angeles is moving to the lowest murder pace of 60 years in total, based on the first half of this year’s data, Mayor Karen Bass said Wednesday.
This year, the Los Angeles Police Department reported 116 murders from 152 people in the same period in 2024, from June 28th.
“We will continue to implement comprehensive safety strategies with law enforcement and community organizations to keep Angelenos safe, especially during the summer going on,” Bass said. “That means responding quickly when a crime occurs and putting people accountable, but we’re working to ensure that it doesn’t happen in the first place.”
The city’s crimes also fell in 2024, with murders down 14% and shooting casualties down 19%, according to Bass and Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell.
The mayor’s office is attributed to gang reduction and the decline in the Youth Development (GRYD) zone and other violent intervention programs. Bass announced in March a 45% decrease in gang-related murders in the Gryd Zone compared to 2023, a 56% decrease compared to 2022.
Violent crimes such as robbery, worsening assault and rape have either decreased slightly or remained flat compared to 2023.
LA City Council Speaker Marqueece Harris-Dawson highlighted the importance of a sustained commitment to public safety.
“This is proof that deep and intentional investment in the safety of our community can create a safer neighborhood,” Harris Dawson said. “We must ensure ongoing funding for community violence interventions across Los Angeles, because we have the power to prevent harm before it occurs.”
Los Angeles County is also seeing a decline in homicides. As of May, Los Angeles recorded 63 murders in the patrol area, a significant decrease compared to 184 murders in 2024, a decline of almost 100 from 2021.
Murders have steadily declined since 2021, when the city recorded more than 400 killings, making it one of the deadliest years of decades.
Nationally, homicide rates rose 30% between 2019 and 2020, the largest one-year increase in the century. This data was cited by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the FBI’s Pew Research, and was attributed by experts to factors related to the coronavirus pandemic.
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