Los Angeles Violent Crime Surge

Los Angeles violent crime surged by 67% downtown for the first six months of 2015 according to the FBI Uniform Crime Reports. Is the increase in violent crime caused by gang activity? Was it caused by the jail inmate's early-release program? Is it related to the growing Skid Row Homeless Population? Did Proposition 47 felony crime reclassification cause the spike? Mayor Eric Garcetti and Chief Charlie Beck's press conference Podcast Time Stamps: [00:45] - Press conference with Chief Beck and Mayor Garcetti. [01:48] - Interview with KABC talk-radio show host Peter Tilden. [02:30] - Why is Los Angeles violent crime increasing downtown? [03:55] -  Los Angeles violent crime is up 67% downtown. [04:50] - More cops are not the answer to lowering crime statistics. [08:52] - My comments about the interview subject matter. [09:02] - What's causing the spike in Los Angeles violent crime? [10:50] - Three-strikes law in California. [12:35] - Perfect Crime Storm. [13:00] - Early release of jail and prison inmates. [14:45] - Skid Row in Los Angeles. [15:20] - Proposition 47 and its contribution to the crime rate increase. [16:25] - LAPD modifies arrest and jail booking policy. [18:00] - Los Angeles Violent Crime analysis - Mystery in the numbers. [18:30] - FBI Uniform Crime Reports. [20:50] - LA Times investigated LAPD crime under-reporting. [23:15] - Predictions about crime trends in Los Angeles violent crime. What caused the rise in Los Angeles violent crime downtown? Was it caused by: A downtown gang turf battle. A surge in drug activity. A major new entertainment or sports venue opening. Rising homelessness and violence on Skid Row. Discharge of jail inmates due to overcrowding. Proposition 47 downgrading felonies to misdemeanors. Change in offender arrest and jail booking policy. Changes in LAPD policy on crime classifications. Increased part-1 UCR crime reporting to the FBI. Violent crime was under-reported in 2104. Violent crime data correction in 2015. A combination of several of these factors. California was Tough on Crime The three-strikes law in California was legislation that mandated the courts to impose harsher jail and prison sentences on habitual offenders. The sentencing threshold was having at least two-prior serious criminal convictions and has now committed a third. In California, even a misdemeanor drug crime conviction could be that third-strike triggering harsher jail or prison sentence. The idea was to be tough on crime by keeping those more likely to commit a serious crime off the streets and separate habitual offenders from society using the baseball analogy of three strikes and you’re out. The Three-Strikes Law was credited by many for the decade of crime rate reduction in California.Tweet This The Perfect Crime Storm However, this crime reduction benefit came at a high price. The Los Angeles County jail quickly became overcrowded with those awaiting trial and sentencing. The inmate congestion and deplorable housing conditions in the county jail were condemned by everyone. Early Release from Jail Beginning in 2013-2014 the City and County of Los Angeles began to early-release “low-risk” jail inmates at a significant rate. Relevant to this discussion is that the largest jail complex in the United States, the Twin Towers, and Men’s Central Jail correctional facility, is located in downtown Los Angeles in the LAPD Central Division. According to a statewide audit, by June 2014 California jails were releasing 14,000 inmates per month after serving 20% or less of their sentence while also reducing the state prison population by over 25,000. With all this happening in a relatively short time span, it was no surprise to hear about the rise in crime announcements by city officials. Los Angeles Skid Row Many inmates that are suddenly released don’t have any place to go....