Sheriff: LA County Crime Down In 2014
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Crime in Los Angeles County was down overall in 2014, according to crime data released Wednesday by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
Preliminary reported data showed violent crimes was down 4.95 percent as of the end of December 2014, and property crimes also decreased by 6.22 percent, compared to the previous year at the same time, sheriff's officials said.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department polices 42 contract cities and the unincorporated communities of the county.
Read The Report: Los Angeles Sheriff's Department 2014 Crime Data
The five-year change in crime is dramatic, with a 20.70 percent decrease in violent crimes and a 5.84 percent drop in property crimes. The data shows that criminal homicides were down by 10.53 percent, to 149 reported in 2014 compared to 164 in 2013, and down a whopping 26.09% compared to five years ago, when 207 homicides were reported in 2009, officials said.
Rape is the only crime that is up in 2014, with a 2 percent increase, but it has also down overall over the past five years, down 11 percent since 2009.
Earlier this week, LAPD officials released their end-of-year crime report, which showed crime in Downtown Los Angeles had spiked 25 percent in 2014. Sheriff Jim McDonnell said he plans to meet with LAPD officials to make sure both agencies are classifying crimes in a consistent way.
