Dennis RomeroAmong the 25 largest American cities, Los Angeles ranked near the top for violent and property crime increases for the first half of 2015, according to recently released data.
The FBI released preliminary crime statistics for January through June of last year. The bureau looked at lawlessness in United States cities with 100,000 or more residents.
The results weren't pretty for L.A.
For the 25 largest cities, Los Angeles ranked third for increases in both violent and property crime, according to an analysis of the data by the Public Policy Institute of California.
California towns, in fact, dominated the violent-crime list, with Sacramento (first place), Long Beach (fifth place), San Francisco (eighth) and San Diego (ninth) showing up in the top 10.
Same went for property-crime increases, where San Francisco (first), Long Beach (second), Sacramento (fifth), San Jose (sixth) and San Diego (ninth) dominated the top 10.
“However,” the PPIC says its analysis, “the data also show that cities in other states are also experiencing increases, especially in violent crime.”
Indeed, crime increases in other cities, from Chicago to Dallas, Baltimore to New York, call into question arguments that California's voter-approved Proposition 47, which reduced some drug violations to misdemeanors, could be to blame here.
Still, the data “are a strong indication that recent crime increases have occurred across the state,” PPIC says.
“They underscore the importance of monitoring crime trends and the need for careful analysis to identify key causes,” the nonprofit states. “If we can identify the factors that are contributing to higher crime rates, we can implement effective crime-preventive strategies.”
Credit: PPIC
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