Mayor Karen Bass and other city officials said the city resources they poured into the area are beginning to produce results after reports of violent crime and widespread drug use, particularly among inappropriate people in Los Angeles’ MacArthur Park area.
Bass said at a press conference with LAPD chief Jim McDonnell and LA City Councilman Eunisses Hernandez that there have been fewer drug and weapons sales since December and violent incidents have been occurring.
“Last month we’ve made a real progress by bringing the park back into the community,” the mayor said.
After increasing the presence of police and sending more officers, the MacArthur Park area saw a 46% drop in crime against people, according to Chief McDonnell.
McDonnell said in December 2024 there were 26 violent crimes, including 14 robberies and 12 worsening assaults. Then, in February 2025, according to the LAPD chief, there were 14 crimes.
“LAPD is promoting enforcement efforts, expanding its outreach initiative, working closely with community partners to make the parks and surrounding areas safer, and these efforts are producing real results,” McDonnell said.
According to the latest crime data released by the LAPD, the surrounding area patrolled by the LAPD Lampart Division appears to have overall declined in the number of robberies and worsening attacks between January 5th and March 1st. Rape is the only type of crime against a person who increases from seven cases in January to nine cases in February.
While police departments focus on crime prevention, other city departments have been working to address the drug use and mental health crisis that is taking place in public places. Bass added that the city’s circle team is out to address mental health.
In September 2024, NBC4 cameras captured several people taking illegal drugs during the afternoon when family and community members were passing by.
“It’s a bit scary because there are a lot of people taking medicines, so that’s why we’re scared of walking there,” one father said he was walking his six-year-old daughter home from school.
District councillor Hernandez, including MacArthur Park, said a full-time mobile overdose response team has been deployed to identify and reverse overdose.
“From the beginning of the year, they’ve saved 24 lives by reversed overdoses and dispensing over 3,000 naloxone kits,” Hernandez said.
The city has been working to clean the area since September to remove more than 200 tonnes of debris, as people living and working around the park complain about the trash and unsanitary conditions, Bass said.
“We bring urban services and resources to clean our communities,” the mayor said.
Bass said other preventive investments have been made in the area, including the installation of new solar street lights and improved public parking.
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