Crime Rates Plummet In LA County Sheriff's Dept. Patrol Areas

LOS ANGELES, CA — The past year saw a significant drop in violent crime in areas patrolled by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, including a 20.5 percent dip in homicides when compared to 2016, Sheriff Jim McDonnell announced Thursday.

McDonnell noted that the drop in the number of homicides can be attributed in part to a 46 percent reduction in areas patrolled by deputies in the sheriff's Compton, Century and East Los Angeles stations.

The sheriff's department reported a 4.6 percent drop in "Part 1" crimes, meaning there were about 3,600 fewer violent and property crimes over the past year.

There was also a 4.5 percent dip in rapes, while robberies were down 2.3 percent, aggravated assaults dropped by 2.2 percent and burglaries were down 2.4 percent, according to the department.

But the department more than doubled its narcotics arrests in 2017, making 1,028 arrests compared to 719 in 2016, McDonnell said.

City News Service; Image courtesy of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department