False Premise, False Promise

7/31/2019 False Premise, False Promise

1/47

A REPORTBYTHE ACLU FOUNDATIO

OF SOUTHERN CALIFORN

www.aclu-sc.o

MAY199


2/47

CONTENTS

Section I:Introduction and Study Design ....................................................................................... ... 1

Section II:Review of Violent Crime, Calls for Ser viceand Felony Drug Arr ests in 19 LAPD Reporting Distr icts ................................................... 7

Section III:Discuss ion and Conclusions ...................................................................................... ...... 36

A REPORTBYTHE ACLU FOUNDATIONOF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

MAY 1997

1616 Beverly Boulevard

Los Angeles, California 90026

213. 977. 9500

www.aclu-sc.org


3/47

False Premise/False Promise:The Blythe Street Gang Injunctionls

May1997

1

IN DECEMBER, 1987, THE LOS ANGELES CITYATTORNEYS OFFICE introduced what it characterized as apowerful new weapon in the fight against gang violence. T his weapon was the court in juncti on issued against named

alleged members of the P layboy Gangster Cr ips gang operating in the Cadil lac-Corning neighborhood of W est L os

A ngeles. T he injunction barred them from congregating together, talking on t he street, l ittering or remaining in public for

more than five minutes at a time.In a statement to t he media at the time, C ity A ttorney James K . H ahn lauded the court action as the nations first

legal offensive against a street gang, and vowed:

W e intend to use the prohibit ion against harassing citizens to give law-abidi ng residents...some much-needed relief

against these gang members. (U nited Press International, D ec. 11, 1 987 .)

Since the Playboy Gangster Crips case was filed nearly 10 years ago, the injunction tactic has received increasing

attention and has been hailed as a quick, reliable way to rescue neighborhoods from the grip of criminal street gangs and

the terror of gang-related violent crime. By early 1996, gang injunctions had developed such broad appeal that Gov. Pete

W ilson included in his budget for submission to the L egislature a proposal to set up a $2.5 mi llion G ang Civil

Injunction Fund . T he stated purpose was to provide grants to local prosecutors and underwrite the costs of obtaining

and enforcing addit ional inj unctions against threatening or i ntimidating gang activities. (O ffice of the Governor,

Governors Budget Summary, Jan. 10, 199 6, State and L ocal A lliance for Publ ic Safety, page 2.)

T he Playboy Gangster Cri ps case received high levels of media and publi c attention and the injuncti on tactic has

since been described, in a 1997 U .S. B ureau of Justice A ssistance monograph ( U rban Street G ang Enforcement,

January, 1997, page 100 ), as a concept pi oneered in L os A ngeles. H owever, it was not until 199 3 that the Cit y A ttorney

moved to obtain what was then and may stil l be the most heavil y promoted gang injunction ever sought.

O n F eb. 22, 1 993, the City A ttorneys Office filed for an injunction (People v. Blythe Street Gang, L os A ngeles

County Superior Court, L C0205 25) against as many as 500 members of the Bl ythe Street G ang, a L atino street gang.

T he court fi li ng charged that the gang had transformed a quiet Panorama Ci ty neighborhood into an occupati on zone in

which innocent residents were held captive in their own apartments by violent criminal predators and victimized if they

went outside their homes.

In a media statement at the time, Ci ty A tty. H ahn said:

T he Bl ythe Street neighborhood is under occupation by an organized group of criminals involved i n everything

from drug trafficking to murder. T his is a gang of brutal outlaws. (R euters N orth A merican Wi re, Feb. 22, 19 93.)

Civil libertarians and constitutional law experts argued unsuccessfully at the time that the injunction should be

denied. O rganizationsincluding the A merican Civil L iberties U nion that opposed the tactic contended that it would

lead to cases of mistaken identity and that the court order sought by the city would, in effect, outlaw otherwise legal

activity, such as carrying on conversations, visiting with friends or possessing tools like screw drivers and pocket knives

whose use is not, per se, a crime. O pponents contended that existing laws and law enforcement techniques could be better

used to counter the criminal actions of the Blythe Street Gang.

But these arguments did not prevail, in part because of a political climate that had evolved out of understandable

desperation. I t reflected a desire to abate even at the expense of fundamental constituti onal ri ghtsthe perceived reign

SECTION IIntroduction

and Descr iption of Study Design


4/47


May1997

2

of criminal terror i nfl icted on many urban neighborhoods by street gangs. T his drive to embrace increasingly extreme

tactics in the war against gangs has occurred despite cautionary urgings by many academic and professional research

experts.

By early 1 997 , inj unctions had been i ssued or were being sought i n just under a dozen Californi a cities (N ew York

T imes, F eb. 1, 19 97) . T hese locales included San Jose, B urbank, L os A ngeles, W estminster, P asadena and R edondo

Beach.

T he L os A ngeles County D istrict A ttorney has sought actively to encourage the filing of addit ional gang injunc-tions throughout the region. T he office operates a unit called SA G E (S trategy A gainst G ang Environment) that,

accordi ng to its official d escription, is aimed at taking back L os A ngeles streets from gangs and the accompanying

problems of drugs and violence. T he description continues: K ey to SA G Es success are civil injunctions (court orders)

which drastically reduce drug dealing, violence, graffiti and l oitering. (W orldwid e Web page, L os A ngeles County

D istrict A ttorneys Office, Bureau of Cri me Prevention, M ay 26, 199 7.)

T he gang injuncti on tactic is an impor tant component of the so-called suppression model of gang enforcement.

In evaluating this increasingly popular model, the U .S. O ffi ce of Juvenile Justice and D elinquency Pr evention concluded

in O ctober, 199 4, that:

A lthough it i s possible that relying solely on suppression may stop gang violence in smaller citi es or those with

emerging gang problems (usually accompanied by an increase in gang-related drug trafficking), researchers have

discovered li ttle evidence that relying pr imari ly on suppr ession has reduced the gang problem in large citi es such as L os

A ngeles. ( G ang Suppression and I ntervention: P roblem and R esponse, O ffice of Justice Programs, O ffice of Juvenile

Justice and D elinquency Prevention, O ctober, 1 994 , page 8.)

T he new reliance on suppression, this analysis concluded, i s the product of a trend i n criminal justice and urban

policy that has emerged over the last 25 years:

A new strategy, suppr ession, appears to have emerged in the 197 0s and 198 0s and remains prevalent today. T he

dominance of a suppression strategy can be related to several factors: the decline of local community and youth outreach

efforts, at least with respect to the youth gang problem; the insufficiency of opportunity provision approaches to target or

modify gang structures; the changing structure of a labor market that can no longer adequately absorb unskilled and

poorly educated older youth gang members; and the consequent increased criminalization and sophistication of youth

gangs. ( G ang Suppression and I ntervention, page 7.)

W ith in months after it was issued, the Bl ythe Street gang injunction became the most prominent and visibl e symbol

of the growing fascination with issuing court orders to ban gang behavior. In 1997, the Californi a Supreme Court upheldthe tactic in a decision in which the court appeared to conclude that the certainty of relief from gang violence in confined

neighborhoods, which gang injunctions supposedly afford, justifies what the court acknowledged was a limitation on

individ ual li berties. T he case involved a challenge to a gang injunction i ssued in the San Jose neighborhood of

R ockspri ngs, described in court documents in language familiar to observers of gang injunction lit igation as an urban war

zone.

In People ex rel. Gallo v Carlos Acuna (97 Cal. D aily O p. Service 724) the court held that:

L iberty unrestrained is an invitation to anarchy. Freedom and responsibil ity are joined at the hip.

T he state has not only a right to maintain a decent society, but an obli gation to do so. In the public nui sance

context, the communitys right to security and protection must be reconciled with the individuals right to expressive and

associative freedom. Reconciliation begins with the acknowledgment that the interests of the community are not invariably

less important than the freedom of individuals.

Indeed, the security and protection of the communi ty is the bedrock on which the superstructure of indi vidualliberty rests. From M ontesquieu to L ocke to M adison, the description of the pivotal compact remains unchanged: by

entering society, individuals give up the unrestrained right to act as they think fit; in return, each has a positive right to

societys protection.

But despite the 10-year evolution of the gang injunction as an accepted tactic to neutralize the threat of community

violence, fewif any studies have tested the claims made for in juncti ons as a strict question of whether they achieve

reductions in cri me and violence in the neighborhoods in whi ch they are issued. A lso at issue is the question of whether

gang injunctions have unintended or unanticipated consequences in neighborhoods and communities surrounding those

affected by t hese court orders.


5/47


May1997

3

MOSTRECENTLY,the injunction tactic has been util ized in a South L os A ngeles neighborhood near C ulver City i na court filing against members of the 18 th Street G ang. A L os A ngeles County Superior Court judge is expected to decide

by early July whether to issue an injunction similar to the Blythe Street order that would take in a small neighborhood

bounded by H auser Boulevard, Jefferson Boulevard, A lsace A venue and W esthaven Street. T he order sought names of

150 alleged members of the 18 th Street G ang as defendants. (N ews R elease, O ffice of C ity A ttorney Jim H ahn, M arch

22, 1997.)

T hese injuncti ons raise several questions concerning the limit ing of fundamental civil ri ghts and tradit ionalA merican civil li berties in the name of achieving an impr ovement in publ ic safety:

1) D o gang inj unctions achieve the claimed benefits in quanti fiabl e ways?

2) D oes crime drop in neighborhoods specified i n the in junctions?

3) W hat happens to crime and other evidence of gang violence in areas immediately surround ing injuncti on zones?

4) D oes criminal activity simpl y relocate from an injunction area to other nearby neighborhoods?

DESIGNOF THIS STUDY

T he Blythe Street gang injunction was chosen for review in th is study for three principal reasons:

1) T he inj unction was sought and issued under circumstances that attracted enormous public attention. T he

debate over the injunction in 1993 centered on whether an extreme measure that, in effect, criminalized

otherwise lawful conduct could be justified by the need to bring peace to a neighborhood wracked by gang

crime and violence. So great was the public prominence of the Blythe Street gang injunction that it remains

symbolic of the injunction tactic wherever it is used.

2) T he Blythe Street injunction was issued more than four years agoa window of ti me large enough to have

established its influence on crime and associated patterns both before and after the injunction.

3) T he area covered by the Bl ythe Street injunction is the exclusive terri tory of a single police department that

employs a logical and consistent system of activities reporting.

For the purposes of providing service by the L os A ngeles Poli ce Department, the C ity of L os A ngeles is divided

into 18 geographic areas, commonly called di visions. T o facilit ate statistical tracking of crime patterns, poli ce service andrelated variabl es, each of these 18 divisions is, in tur n, made up of between 75 and 125 report ing di stricts (R D s), each of

which generally comprises a confined area as small as a few square blocks.

In 199 3, the L A PD command staff instructed each of the 18 division commands to perform an analysis of violent

crime patterns in its territory and to submit written planning documents detailing ways to address these perceived crime

patterns. M ost of the 18 divisions identified Report ing D istricts that were beset by high levels of: reported violent crime

(specifically homicide, rape/attempt rape, robbery and aggravated assault); calls requesting police service; and felony drug

arrests.

In the two police divisions responsible for the area surrounding the Blythe Street neighborhood, these reports were

entitled: L A PD V an N uys A rea V iolent Crime A nalysis, dated D ec. 9, 1993, and V iolent Crime L ocations, a

memorandum from the Commanding O fficer, D evonshire A rea, dated D ec. 20, 199 3. A lso consulted for this analysis

was another memorandum report, 1994 V iolent Crime O perations Pl ans, prepared by the Commanding Officer,

Foothill A rea, dated D ec. 22, 199 3.T he selection of cri teria for analysis by which these L A PD internal reports were standardized provides a sensibl e

variety of indices:

T he volume of violent crime in an area has an obvious, di rect bearing on both the perceived and actual safety of an

individ ual neighborhood. T he volume of calls for pol ice service provid es a diff erent sense of the atmosphere of a

community, permitting a simplistic form of tracking the degree to which residents believe they require public safety

services. T he number of f elony drug arrests provid es a perspective on the degree to which drug traff icking has permeated

the community.


6/47


May1997

4

Los Angeles Police Department:

19 reporting districts surrounding Blythe Street, January, 1993, through May, 1997

Source: P lanning & R esearch D ivision, L os A ngeles Poli ce D epartment


7/47


May1997

5

In the San Fernando V alley, the V an N uys and D evonshire D ivisions of the L A PD both elected to identify small

numbers of R eporting D istricts 10 i n V an N uys D ivision, four in D evonshire that were beset by abnormally high

levels of violent crime and the perceived risk of violent crime.

T he area of B lythe Street that is most specificall y covered by the injuncti on filed for on Feb. 22, 19 93, and issued

on A pril 7, 1993, fall s entirely within R D 925 . A t least two additional short thoroughfares also called B lythe Street exist

nearby, but outside of, RD 925.

A lthough the 1993 injunction nominally took in an area of 112 square blocks between V an N uys and SepulvedaBoulevards, i t focused primarily on an area divided roughly in half by a two-block section of B lythe Street, from V an

N uys Boulevard to B rimfield A venue. T he greatest focus of attention in the inj unction and the locale of its most

stringent sanctions was an area within R D 925 bounded by V an N uys B oulevard on the east, K ester A venue on the

west, A rminta Str eet on t he south and S trathern S treet on t he north.

It was from this area that gang members covered by the injunction were barred entirely unless they could provide

documentary proof of residency in the neighborhood. From the date the court order was issued until the present, the

B lythe Street gang injuncti on has been most associated with this two square block area within R D 925 described in the

injunction i ssued by Superior Court Judge John A . M ajor.

T o examine patterns in cri me rates, call-for-service volumes and numbers of felony d rug arrests as the key indi ces of

overall communi ty crime patterns, this study analyzes these three indices for R D 925 and 18 other RD s that surround i t.

Sixteen of these Reporting D istricts are in V an N uys Di vision; thr ee are in D evonshire D ivision.

SINCE 1993, the L A PD has undergone a period of r apid expansion in its officer strength. T his has permittedaddition of new patrol territories, a factor that, combined with normal, periodic readjustment of police division boundaries,

has resulted in the alteration of many reporti ng distri cts throughout t he city. T he districts analyzed for this report have

remained consistent in their boundaries throughout t he last six years, with the excepti on of RD 949.

In 199 5, changes were made in the territory covered by V an N uys Di vision. T he division was reduced in

geographic size and several of the reporting d istri cts previously assigned to i t were shif ted to neighbori ng divisions. T he

R D numbers for several di stricts within V an N uys Di vision were also changed.

H owever, wi th the exception of R D 949, there were no other boundary or numbering changes in the zone of

districts that has RD 925 as its hub and whi ch is the focus of this study.

In January, 1995, R D 949 was removed from V an N uys D ivision and its territory was divided among threedistricts in N orth H ollywood D ivision, directly to the east. T his removal and fragmentation of R D 949 makes impossible

statistical comparisons of crime, calls for service or felony drug arrests for the period 1995 and 19 96. H owever, data for

these variables were retained by the L A PD and were made available in toto for the period 1991 through 1994.

T he Reporti ng D istricts chosen for examination in thi s study meet one or both of two criteria:

1) T hey are among the RD s identified in the 1993 V an N uys and D evonshire violent crime analyses as the most

crime-ridden districts in each division. A ll 10 of these most crime-ridden RD s identified in V an N uys

Division, including RD 925 (Blythe Street itself), and two of four identified by the report for Devonshire

D ivision are in the immediate vicinity of the intersection of B lythe Street and V an N uys Boulevard.

In V an N uys D ivision, the 10 most crime-ridden R D s were identified as: 909 , 918, 925, 936, 9 44, 9 46, 94 9,

955 , 956 and 957 . A ll of them are included in thi s study, despite the 1995 reassignment of territory

previously occupied by RD 949.In D evonshire D ivision, the two RD s that were both in close geographic proximity to B lythe Street and among the

most crime-ridden identified by police are: 1798 and 1799.

2) T hey are RD s which are either immediately adjacent or in very close physical proximity t o R D 925 , although

they may not have been on the list of the most heavily plagued by violent crime compiled by the two police

divisions. RD s exclusively in this category are 917, 919 , 923, 924, 926 and 937 in V an Nuys D ivision and

1796 in Devonshire Division.

T hree reporting districts9 25, 91 8 and 936 fall within both categories.


8/47


May1997

6

T he districts also fall heavily along the Sepulveda B oulevard and V an N uys Boulevard corridors. T he Sepulveda

Cor ridor, whi ch straddles D evonshire and V an N uys divisions, was identifi ed as an area with especially high levels of

prostitution, dr ug trafficking and gang crime in the D evonshire A rea 1993 violent crime analysis and was also identified

as a special problem area in the V an N uys D ivision analysis. T he Van N uys Corri dor falls entirely within V an N uys

D ivision. RD s 1798 and 1 799 in D evonshire D ivision both have Sepulveda Boulevard as one of their boundaries.

N ine of the 10 most crime-ridden RD s in V an N uys D ivision have either Sepulveda Boulevard or V an N uys

Boulevard as one of their boundaries. T he Van N uys analysis concluded that 27 percent of the total crime in the divisioninvolves either the Sepulveda or V an Nuys corridor.

IN MARCH 1997, the A CL U Foundation of Southern Californi a filed a request under the Californi a PublicR ecords A ct with the L A PD seeking data for the 19 R eporting D istricts in question for the six-year period from 1991

through 1996. A twentieth R eporting Di strict, RD 179 7 in D evonshire D ivision, was also included in the request. It was

subsequently dropped from this study because its territory is made up almost entirely of a property housing a large

A nheuser-B usch brewery and a right-of-way of the Southern Pacifi c Rai lroad. B ecause of this land-use combination,

almost no criminal activity was reported in R D 1797 and i t was deemed not relevant to this study.

T he data sought for review from the L A PD were monthly totals of homicides; rapes/attempt rapes; robberies;

aggravated assaults; total calls for police service, and numbers of felony drug arrests.

T his request was subsequently amended infor mally to include department-wide L A PD data on these same ind ices

and for current maps showing the locations of all R eporting D istricts in V an N uys and D evonshire D ivisions. T he 1997

maps were compared with maps prepared in 1987 to verify that terri tories covered by involved R D s had remained

consistent for the past decade. T he materials sought were suppli ed by the L A PD O ffice of the Chief, O ffice of A dminis-

trative Services, Inf ormation Resources Di vision and P lanning & R esearch D ivision (Cartography and V isual A ids

Unit) .

A ddi tional d ata on national and statewide rates of reported serious crime were obtained via the Int ernet from

websites operated by the U .S. D epartment of Justice N ational Cr iminal Justice R eference Service (N CJRS) and B ureau

of Justice Stati stics (BJS) . T hese serious crime categories are broader than t he violent crime components reviewed by t he

L A PD and presented i n thi s analysis. So-called F BI Part I crimes are homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault,

burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft and arson.

T hese data from the L A PD and the N CJRS were entered and analyzed in M icrosoft Excel. Because R D 949 was

a part of V an N uys D ivision for the entire period covered by these charts, it retains that identity in th is document, despitethe fact that it was moved out of V an N uys D ivision in 199 5.

T o enhance clarit y, charts showing numbers of reported violent crimes, calls for poli ce service and numbers of

felony drug arrests cover the period A pril , 199 2, through either D ecember, 1994, or M arch, 1995.

L A PD maps for V an N uys and D evonshire D ivisions were consolidated and edited for clarity in Corel P hoto-

Paint. T he basic cartographic renderings of reporting distri cts have not been altered from the form in which they were

provided by the department.

D ata were entered into a series of master fil es to permit examinati on of trends in all violent crime and indi vidual

offenses including aggravated assault, robbery, rape/attempted rape and homicide, as well as calls for police service and

felony drug arrests. T he analysis begins at the reporti ng distri ct level and attempts to identi fy trends in crime, pol ice call

volume and drug arrests before and for at least 18 months after the issuance of the Blythe Street gang injunction.

Supplementing the basic reporting district data files, an area of more than 20 square miles in the Panorama City

vicinity was mapped, based on L A PD division maps that show the exact boundaries of reporting districts.T he reporting di strict data were analyzed in a fashion that permitted identification of any districts near R D 925

that showed evidence of abrupt increases or decreases in crime, calls for service and felony drug arrests.

N ext, the data files were merged to provid e collective data for the entire 19-reporti ng distri ct area and the same

comparisons were made for total violent crime, specific violent crimes, call volume and felony drug arrests.

Finally, the individual reporting district analysis files, files created to recognize clusters of reporting districts that

experienced sharp increases in crime immediately after the injunction was issued and files for the 19-reporting district as a

whole were compared to citywide data for crime and calls for service that were provided separately by the L A PD .


9/47


May1997

7

THEAREAREVIEWEDFORTHISSTUDYINCLUDES 19 LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENTreporting districts inthe Panorama City area of the San Fernando V alley, approximately 15 mi les northwest of downtown L os A ngeles. T he

area occupied by these 19 districts is irregularly shaped, but covers a maximum north-south distance of approximately 5

miles and a maximum east-west distance of approximately four miles.

It s northernmost tip terminates at L assen Street, where Woodman A venue and the Pacoima Wash flood control

channel converge. T he 19-di strict zones easternmost boundary is Coldwater Canyon A venue. It s westernmost boundary

is Woodley A venue and its southernmost boundary is the Southern Pacif ic R ailroad right-of-way that runs east-west south

of V ictory Boulevard and north of Burbank B oulevard.

T he areas main north-south thoroughfares are the San Di ego Fr eeway (I nterstate 405) , Sepulveda Boulevard,

V an N uys Boulevard, W oodley A venue, Coldwater Canyon A venue and W oodman A venue. Its principal east-west

streets are Nordhoff Street, R oscoe Boulevard, V anowen St reet, Sherman W ay and V ictory B oulevard.Figure 3-x in Section III of this report shows that there was a citywide, one-month decline in violent crime

recorded in February, 1993, the same month that court papers seeking the Blythe Street gang injunction were filed.

REPORTING DISTRICT 925

T he district most di rectly affected by the A pril , 1993, injunction i ssued against members of the Blythe Street Gang

is RD 925 . It is bounded by R oscoe Boulevard on the north, V an N uys Boulevard on the East, the Southern P acific

R ailroad right-of-way on the south and Br imfield A venue on the west. I t is one of the 10 most violent RD s in V an N uys

Division, according to the areas 1993 violent crime analysis.

V iolent crime rose sharply in R D 925 between A pril and July, 1993, d ropped between July and A ugust, then rose

again in two of the followi ng three months. V iolent crime in R D 925 di d not reach levels as low as those recorded in

A pril , 1993 , for two consecutive months or more until January, 1994 . A ggravated assault fluctuated more sporadically i n

R D 925 in the period, but accelerated sharply in July, 199 3, and then rose continuously from A ugust through O ctober of

that year.

A lthough violent crime showed some fluctuation in R D 925 in 19 95 and 19 96, L A PD figures analyzed for this

report but not included on these charts showed that the numbers of violent crime incidents in R D 925 were above levels

recorded in A pril , 19 93, through the end of 1 996 . B ecause numbers of violent crimes in any individual r eporting district

are comparatively small in any single month, these reported crime incidents show fluctuation through 1995 and 1996

SECTION IIReview of Violent Crime,

Calls for Service and Felony Drug Arrests

in 19 LAPD Reporting Districts


10/47


May1997

8

similar to that seen in these charts. In February, 1996, there were 14 violent crimes reported in the district, and in

A ugust, 1996, there were 15 such crimes. T here were 132 violent crimes in the district in all of 1 995 and 117 in all of

1996.

T here had previously been 180 violent crimes in R D 925 i n 1991, 155 i n 1992, 160 i n 1993 and 125 in 19 94.

Cal ls for poli ce service showed a sharp increase between M arch and M ay, 1993, before beginning a sporadi c

decline. H owever, calls for service did not equal the low number for M arch, 1993 , until January, 1994. T hroughout the

eight months after the injuncti on was issued, calls for service in R D 925 remained at levels consistently higher than before

city officials sought the court order.

Figure 2-1: Violent Crime, RD 925

0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 24 3

73 3 1

3 4 1

8

3 4 26 4

6 51

5 38 4

1 1 3 27

1 5 46

3 3 1 04

9 9

9

10 1010

18

6 8

11

35 8

715 8 11

12

12

4

64

73

86

611

119 5

1

9

59

12

1312

17

1413

11

22

10 10

20

6

910

13

19

1517

13

17

7

14

109

4

11

8

13 13

16

1312

4

12

6

10

18

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Ap

r-92

May

June

July

Au

gust

Sep.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Ja

n.

93

Feb.

Mar.

Apr.

May

June

July

Aug.

Sep.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Ja

n.9

4

Feb.

Mar.

Apr.

May

June

July

Aug.

Sep

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Ja

n.

95

Feb.

M

arch

TotalAgg. Aslt.

Robbery

Rape

Homicide

Figure 2-2: Calls for Service, RD 925

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

200

199

2Apl

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

199

3Jan

Feb

Mar

Apl

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

199

4Jan

Feb

Mar

Apl

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec


11/47


May1997

9

T he monthly felony drug arrest totals in R D 925 are not large enough to draw absolute conclusions. H owever, it is

clear that there was no sustained reduction in felony drug arrests in this area after A pri l, 19 93. T he general pattern has

been for the monthly arrest totals to fluctuate between two and 15 , and there was no change in th is pattern after A pri l,

1993. T here were three felony drug arrests in February, 1993, and two in M arch. T he number fell to zero in M ay,

1993, but r ose to nine arrests in A ugust and 11 in O ctober.


0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 01 0 01

0 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 4 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 2 0 1 1 2 1 1 0 1 0 1 07 6 5

9 12 10 9 8 8 810 13 8

4 6 8 8 313 14 13 6 9 12

109

10 13 14 10 1222

117 5

159

1710

2317

14 1713

17 1819

2121

23 19 1712

8

2113 16

16

25

8

2221

2728

3132

19

13

24

14 20

1517

23

15

35

29

2427

21

26 27

31

3633

2926 25

20

12

34

2730

24

34

20

35

30

3942

47

43

32

36 36

21

26

30

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Apr-92

May

June

July

August

Sep.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.

93

Feb.

Mar.

Apr.

May

June

July

Aug.

Sep.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.9

4

Feb.

Mar.

Apr.

May

June

July

Aug.

Sep

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.

95

Feb.

March

Total

Agg. Aslt.

Robbery

Rape

Homicide

Figure 2-3: Felony Drug Arrests, RD 925

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

1992

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

1993Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

1994Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec


R D 909 is a roughly triangular district bounded by W oodman A venue on the east, O sborne and R ayen Streets on

the south and the Pacoima Wash flood control channel on the west. I t is one of 10 R D s with the highest rates of violent

crime in all of V an N uys Di vision, according to t he areas 1993 violent crime analysis.

R D 909 did not experience the citywide decline in violent crime in February, 19 93. R ates of violent crime had

begun rising in R D 909 in D ecember, 1992. T he numbers reached a temporary high in A pril , then dropped in the

distri ct from then until S eptember, but rose sharply afterward, fluctuating at levels close to or just below the A pri l, 19 93 ,

level until A pril , 199 4. V iolent crime incidents surged upward again in the summer of 1994.

V iolent crime incidents declined slowly but steadily in 1995 and 199 6, according to L A PD figures analyzed

for thi s report but not shown on these charts. H owever, as late as M ay and June, 1996, there were 29 violent crimes

reported in the district in each of those two months. In 1 995, there were 34 violent crimes in June and 33 in O ctober.

T here were 307 violent crimes in the district in 1995 and 261 i n 1996.


12/47


May1997

10

Calls for police service rose sharply between February and A pri l, 19 93 and f luctuated near or above the A pri l level

until O ctober, 1 994 . B y D ecember, 1994, the call for service rate had declined significantly, but remained at a level

higher than that recorded immediately before the Blythe Street gang injunction was issued.

T he number of felony drug arrests in RD 909 has historically been between approximately zero and six per month.

T he pattern of approximately four arrests per month continued after the A pril , 199 3 inj unction. Fur thermore, the 11

arrests in July, 1994 was the highest monthly total for R D 909 during t he span of the study.


0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

1992Apl

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

1993Jan

Feb

Mar

Apl

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

1994Jan

Feb

Mar

Apl

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec


0

2

4

6

8

10

12

1992Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

1

993Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

1

994Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec


13/47


May1997

11


R D 179 6 i s bounded by W oodley A venue on the west, P arthenia Street on the north, the San D iego Freeway on

the east and R oscoe Boulevard on the south. I t also borders R D 1798 , one of the most violent crime-prone districts in

D evonshire D ivision.

R D 1796 has comparatively low rates of violent crime, when measured against the 12 di stricts included in thi s

study that have been identified as especially crime prone by the L A PD . A lthough the numbers of crimes recorded i n R D

1796 are so small as to make monthly statistical comparisons misleading, crime recorded a peak in September, 1992, and

had been decreasing sporadically i n the months prior to issuance of the Bl ythe Street gang injunction i n A pril , 19 93.

Crime rose immediately after the injunction was issued and see-sawed in the following months, although the number of

crimes reported in any one month in R D 1796 never exceeded six.

T his same pattern continued through 1995 and 1996 in L A PD figures analyzed for this report, but not shown in

these charts. W ith t he exception of the single month of July, 1996 , when 10 violent crimes were reported i n R D 1796, the

distri ct continued to show the same sporadic patterns seen in thi s chart. T here were 24 viol ent crimes in the district i n

1995 and 29 in 1996.


0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 03

0 0 0 0 0 0 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

21 0 1

3 31 1 2 2 1 0 1 0

3 20 1 0 0 0

2 2 1 2 0 1 1

1

0 1 1 1 0 0 1

2

1 2

8 4

12

36

1 16

00 3

2 3

11

1 0 1

30 2 0

11

41

1

5

1 10 0

1

5

2 2

9

7

15

4

7

3 3

7

01

3

5 5

12

10

1

5

23

21

2

5 5

1

6

2 2

0 0

2

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Apr-92

May

June

July

August

Sep.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.

93

Feb.

Mar.

Apr.

May

June

July

Aug.

Sep.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.9

4

Feb.

Mar.

Apr.

May

June

July

Aug.

Sep

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.

95

Feb.

March

Total

Agg. Aslt.

Robbery

Rape

Homicide

Calls for service in R D 179 6 coincide with the irr egular high point of violent crime in the district in t he second half

of 1992. Calls for service then declined beginning in A ugust, 1992 and continued at a rate generally slightly below 40

per month throughout the rest of the period.


0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

1992Apl

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

1993Jan

Feb

Mar

Apl

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

1994Jan

Feb

Mar

Apl

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec


14/47


May1997

12

Felony drug arrests in RD 1796 have been sporadi c. T he monthl y totals often remain at zero for several months,

and duri ng the course of the study never went above five. T his pattern remained consistent after the A pri l 1993

injunction; however, it is impossible to draw any generalizations from such small monthly totals.


R D 179 8, one of the highest crime areas in D evonshire D ivision, is bounded by the San D iego Freeway on the

west, N ordhoff Street on the north, Sepulveda Boulevard on the east and R oscoe Boulevard on the south. I t immediately

adjoins RD 179 9, another of the highest-crime districts in either D evonshire or V an N uys D ivisions.

R D 1798 experienced a decline in violent crime in February, 1993 , similar to that recorded citywide. H owever,

beginning in A pri l, 1993, the distri ct recorded extremely sharp increases in each of the next two months. N umbers of

violent crimes committed in the district remained at levels significantly higher than in the month the Blythe Street gang

injunction was issued unti l January, 1994. A brief period of decline halted in A pril , 1994 and rates again r ose and

remained high.

L A PD figures reviewed for thi s analysis but not shown on these charts show that violent crime in R D 179 8

declined gradually i n 19 95 and 1996, but that 20 or more violent crimes were committed in the district in five of these 24months. I n only two of t hese months were there fewer than 10 violent crimes the number reported in A pril , 19 93. T here

were 209 violent crimes in the district in 1995 and 168 in 1996.


0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.55

1992Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

1993Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

1994Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec


0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 01 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 1

10 8 8 69 8 4 5 7

102 6 3

9 15 4 122 5 5 5 5 4 2

7 7 10 9 6 46

5 4 5 4 6

1413 12 14

1513 17 12 10

13

1112

6

9

15

1613

17 14 11 158 7 6

12 11

22

1111 11

14 1612 7 11

10

25

21 20 20

25

21 21

17 17

23

1318

10

19

30

2326

2019 17

20

13 1210

21

19

32

2017 15

22 21

1613

15 17

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Apr-92

May

June

July

August

Sep.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.

93

Feb.

Mar.

Apr.

May

June

July

Aug.

Sep.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.9

4

Feb.

Mar.

Apr.

May

June

July

Aug.

Sep

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.

95

Feb.

March

Total

Agg. Aslt.

Robbery

Rape

Homicide


15/47


May1997

13

L A PD call for service data for RD 1798 are inexplicably incomplete for the period A pril through July, 1992. T he

call volume shows a marked increase, however, in the period beginning in February, 1993, when city officials filed for the

B lythe Street gang injunction. R ates declined in September, 1993, and were sporadically higher or lower throughout the

rest of the period.

M onthly felony drug arrest totals for R D 1798 show a pronounced increase after A pril , 199 3. T his area had

monthly arrest totals of between appr oximately five and 20 in the months leading up to the injuncti on. T he fir st month

after the injunction was issued, the drug arrest total jumped to 32. T his increase, while fluctuati ng, has been sustained in

R D 1798 since the A pril 19 93 injunction. T he number of arrests was 32 i n July, 1993 and 30 in M arch, 1994.


0

50

100

150

200

250

300

1992Apl

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

1993Jan

Feb

Mar

Apl

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

1994Jan

Feb

Mar

Apl

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec


0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

1992Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

1993Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

1994Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec


16/47


May1997

14


R D 1799 i s bounded by Sepulveda Boulevard on the west, the Pacoima W ash flood control channel on the east,

N ordhoff Street on the north and Roscoe Boulevard on the south. It i s between R D s 1798 and 917. I t is one of the RD s

identified as among the most violent crime-ridden districts in D evonshire D ivision in the 1993 L A PD review. T he

southeast corner of RD 1799 abuts RD 925.

V iolent crime had declined in R D 179 9 in F ebruary, 1993, mirrori ng the citywide trend. H owever, immediately

after A pri l, 1 993, when the Bl ythe Street gang injuncti on was issued, these rates increased to levels that remained

consistently higher than before the injunction was issued throughout nearly all of the rest of the period shown on this chart.

A ggravated assault consistently remained above A pri l, 19 93, levels.

In L A PD figures reviewed for this analysis but not charted here, violent crimes occurred at the rate of 20 or more

per month in all but three months of 1995 and 1996. T here were 30 or more violent crimes in this district in seven of

those 24 months and a high of 44 violent crimes in September, 1996, a month in which there were also 31 aggravated

assaults. T here were 321 violent crimes in the district in 19 95 and 3 17 i n 1996.

T he volume of calls for police service rose sharply beginning in February, 199 3, and did not return to p re-B lythe

Street i njunction l evels until N ovember, 1994 . C all volume rose again beginning in January, 1994 , and remained at pr e-

injunction levels throughout the rest of the period shown on this chart.


1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 01 1 1 0 0 1 2 1 1 2 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 02

1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 2 0 1 1 2 10

1

113

11 108 8 5

10 712

7 912

7

1913

812

97

5 7 8 410

6 611 7

169 8 6 7

128

21

165

18

35

1916

21

12

18

15 1110

24

17

18

1919

6

14

9 1016

12

1217 17

2426

24

18 2214 12

16

16

34

2017

29

43

28

23

32

20

32

2321

23

3228

32

27

32

15

25

1517

25

18

24 2 4 2 4

3735

40

2831

2220

31

25

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Apr-92

May

June

July

August

Sep.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.

93

Feb.

Mar.

Apr.

May

June

July

Aug.

Sep.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.9

4

Feb.

Mar.

Apr.

May

June

July

Aug.

Sep

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.

95

Feb.

March

Total

Agg. Aslt.

Robbery

Rape

Homicide


0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

1992Apl

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

1993Jan

Feb

Mar

Apl

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

1994Jan

Feb

Mar

Apl

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec


17/47


May1997

15

R D 179 9 had the clearest change of any district in the zone studied here in monthly felony drug arrests after A pril ,

1993. T he monthly totals, prior to the injunction, went as high as 20 only once, in O ctober, 1992. M ore commonly,

monthly arrests remained at or below 10. Immediately after the inj unction was issued, the monthly arrest totals began a

steady climb, reaching 26 in M ay, 1993 , and 27 in O ctober, 1993. W hile there have been some months with slightly

reduced totals, the pattern after the injunction has been a steady increase. T he total of drug arrests in O ctober, 1994, was

32 and 34 i n N ovember, 1994 .


R D 917 is bounded by R ayem Street on the north, Cedros A venue on the east, R oscoe B oulevard on the south

and the Pacoima Wash flood control channel on the west. It i s immediately east of R D 1799 i n D evonshire D ivision.

A lthough RD 917 i s not among the V an Nuys D ivision top 10 violent crime districts, it is surrounded by RD s in V an

N uys and D evonshire D ivisions identified as among the most violent crime ridden. It borders R D 925 .

V iolent crime incidents hit a low for the period reviewed here in D ecember, 1992 , and January, 19 93, before

beginning a largely steady rise that, wi th some fluctuation, occurred continuously until D ecember, 19 94. In onl y two of

the 12 months following issuance of the Blythe Street gang injunction were the numbers of reported violent crime in RD

917 lower than in the month the injunction was issued.

In L A PD figures analyzed for this report but not shown on these charts, violent crime in RD 917 showed aresurgence beginning i n June, 19 95, and remained at increased levels through September, 1996 . I n A pril , 1996 , 25

violent crimes were committed in the district. M ore than 20 viol ent crimes occurred there dur ing July and September,

1995, as well. In all of 1995, there were 155 violent crimes in RD 917 and 166 in 1996.


0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

1992Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

1993Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

1994Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec


0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 00 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 03 2 3

74

42 3 2 2 2 2 4 4 4 4

32 3 4 3

51

53

4 6 4 4 0

85

1 22

1

8 11 8

14 19

5 138

2 25

10 4

139

127 9 6

87

8

5

11

3

14 10 1217

8

1011

79 9

7

1113

11

2123

11

16

11

4 4

7

12

8

17

13

16

11 119

1210

13

6

17

6

19

1617

21

9

1917

8

1112

8

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

Apr-92

May

June

July

August

Sep.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.

93

Feb.

Mar.

Apr.

May

June

July

Aug.

Sep.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.9

4

Feb.

Mar.

Apr.

May

June

July

Aug.

Sep

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.

95

Feb.

March

Total

Agg. Aslt.

Robbery

Rape

Homicide


18/47


May1997

16

Calls for poli ce service in R D 917 rose from February, 1993 , sporadically thr ough O ctober of that year before they

began a decline that lasted until M arch, 1994. C alls for service then increased continuously thr ough A ugust, 1 994 .

A ccording to L A PD violent crime statistics analyzed for this report but not shown on this chart, violent crime in R D 917

remained at levels higher than A pril , 1993, through June, 1996. I n A pril , 199 6, the district recorded 25 violent crimes, a

level nearly equal to the high in the period shown here in September, 1993.

T he felony dr ug arrest figur es in R D 917 do not l end themselves to broad conclusions due to their hi storical level

of below 10 arrests per month. W hat is clear in the data is that these numbers, though they were small, d id not decrease

after A pri l, 19 93. T he months immediately after the inj unction was issued show an increase, from one arrest in February,

1993, and two arrests in M arch, 1993, to five in N ovember, 199 3, and eight in June, 1994.


0

50

100

150

200

250

1992Apl

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

1993Jan

Feb

Mar

Apl

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

1994Jan

Feb

Mar

Apl

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec


0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

1992Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Au

g

Sep

O

ct

Nov

Dec

1993Jan

Feb

M

ar

Apr

May

Jun

J

ul

Au

g

Sep

O

ct

Nov

Dec

1994Jan

Feb

M

ar

Apr

May

Jun

J

ul

Au

g

Sep

O

ct

Nov

Dec


19/47


May1997

17


R D 918 also borders R D 925 . R D 918 is bounded by Roscoe Boulevard on the south, W akefield A venue on the

east, Cedros A venue on the west and R ayem and O sborne Streets on the north. I t is one of the 10 identifi ed most violent

crime-prone districts in the 1993 V an N uys Di vision analysis.

R D 918 experienced the citywide February, 1993, bottoming out of violent crime, but numbers of violent incidents

began to ri se sharpl y in M arch and increased at a very steep rate through A ugust. A lthough there was a dip in these

numbers in September, the increase resumed after that and continued through January, 1994.

In L A PD figures analyzed for this report but not shown on these charts, violent crime in R D 918 remained at high

levels throughout most of 1 995 and 1996 with 15 or more violent crimes reported in all but seven months of this 24-

month period. T wenty or more violent crimes were committed in the district in 11 of these 24 months. In all of 199 5,

there were 224 violent crimes in the district and 190 in 1996.

Calls for p olice service fluctuated i n R D 918 from the time the B lythe Street gang injunction was issued through

the end of the period shown here. H owever, calls for service reached levels lower than February, 19 93 , in only one month

of this period.


1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 05

36 6 3 8 8

126

11

6 83

813

6 8 6 811

109 9 9 8 10 12 8 12 7

105 7 7 6 6

12

910

1411

714 9

6

14

69

14

12

14

17

22

8

1514 9

10 610

4

1114

1414

1010

146

13

2

15

18

12

16

20

15 15

2221

13

27

12

17 17

21

27

23

30

14

2325

22

19

16

20

13

21

26

23

26

17

20 19

13

20

8

21

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Apr-92

May

June

July

August

Sep.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.

93

Feb.

Mar.

Apr.

May

June

July

Aug.

Sep.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.9

4

Feb.

Mar.

Apr.

May

June

July

Aug.

Sep

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.

95

Feb.

March

Total

Agg. Aslt.

Robbery

Rape

Homicide


0

50

100

150

200

250

300

1992Apl

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

1993Jan

Feb

Mar

Apl

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

1994Jan

Feb

Mar

Apl

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec


20/47


May1997

18

T he historically small number of felony drug arrests in R D 918 do not lend themselves to broad conclusions. T he

trend after the inj unction of A pri l, 19 93, however, has not been toward decline. T he seven months before the injuncti on

was issued show no single month with mor e than one felony drug arrest; i n the seven months after A pri l, 1993 the

monthly total was two or more four different timesin June, July, A ugust and N ovember of 19 93. T he highest total

duri ng the span of this study was in A ugust, 1994, wi th eight arrests, more than twice the total of any of the 12 months

prior to the injunction.


R D 919 is bounded by W oodman A venue on the east, O sborne Street on the north, W akefield A venue on the

west and Roscoe Boulevard on the south.

V iolent crime in RD 919 reached a low point for t he period i n A pril , 199 3, but r ose thereafter, remaining at levels

higher than in the month the injuncti on was issued throughout most of the rest of the period. S ince RD 919 is not among

the 10 most violent reporting di stricts identified by the L A PD in V an N uys Di vision, numbers of crimes there are low by

comparison with other more violent districts.T his same zig-zag pattern continued through 1995 and 1996 in L A PD figures analyzed for this report but not

shown on these charts. H owever, in July and A ugust, 199 5, the district experienced a comparatively sharp increase in

violent crime, with 1 8 i ncidents in July, 199 5, and 1 1 i n A ugust. A ggravated assault accounted for 17 of the 18 July

crimes. V iolent crime in the di strict i n 19 96 peaked at 10 incidents reported in June. T here were 81 violent crimes in the

district in all of 1995 and 55 in 1996 .


0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

1992Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

1993Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

1994Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec


0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 01

0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 01 2 2

6

12 2

62 3 1 2 2

31 2 1 1

4 2 24

2 2 2 3 4 12

1 35 5 4 2 0

36

3

9

9 31

1

3 3 7 1 0

47

2 37

56

0

6

03 2 1

35

6 91

3 32

3

1

4

8

5

18

10

6

3

7

56

8

32

8 8

4 4

89

8

2

11

2

54 4

76

910

4

89

65

10

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Apr-92

May

June

July

August

Sep.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.

93

Feb.

Mar.

Apr.

May

June

July

Aug.

Sep.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.9

4

Feb.

Mar.

Apr.

May

June

July

Aug.

Sep

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.

95

Feb.

March

Total

Agg. Aslt.

Robbery

Rape

Homicide


21/47


May1997

19

M onthly call s for pol ice service rose sharpl y in M ay, 1993, then foll owed an irregular pattern that never reached

that one-month level again through the rest of the period.


0

20

40

60

80

100

120

1992Apl

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

1993Jan

Feb

Mar

Apl

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

1994Jan

Feb

Mar

Apl

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

T he felony dr ug arrest totals for R D 919 are far too small to draw any conclusions there was only one arrest in

this district in all of 1993. T here was no change in the pattern of arrests in this RD after the injunction, with an

occasional arrest or two, fol lowed by several months with no activity. H owever, the total number of arrests for 19 94 was

four, compared wi th the one arrest in 19 93.


0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

1.4

1.61.8

2

1992Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

1993Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

1994Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec


22/47


May1997

20


R D 923 is bounded by the San D iego Freeway on the west, Roscoe Boulevard on the north, Sepulveda B oulevard

on the east and a Southern Pacific Railroad right-of-way on the south. It is not among the most violent crime districts

identified in V an N uys D ivision by the L A PD , but it is directly south of R D 1798, a crime-troubled district in

D evonshire D ivision.

V iolent crime in R D 923 hi t a pronounced low, mirrori ng a citywide phenomenon, in February, 1993 . It

skyrocketed between then and the issuance in A pri l of the Blythe Street gang injuncti on, then dropped again. B y the fall

of 199 3, crime in t his district had declined significantly, although actual numbers of crimes in R D 923 are low and, thus,

fluctuations may not be statistically signi ficant. L evels rose beginning in February, 1994 and remained comparatively high

through most of the rest of the period.

Crime in this district continued this same erratic pattern throughout 1995 and 1996, in figures analyzed for this

report but not shown on these charts. In 12 months of this two-year period, there were 10 or more violent crimes in this

district per month. I n July, 199 5, and June, 1996 , there were 17 violent crimes in a one-month period, alone. T here were

a total of 131 violent crimes in the district in 1995 and 90 in 1996.

Call for service volume in R D 923 d eclined steadil y from M ay, 1993, unti l A pril , 1994, when it rose again

through A ugust of that year before dropp ing again. N umbers of calls for service are low by the standard of many

surrounding districts.


0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 00 0 02

0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 00 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

20

00 0 0 00 1

3

5

1

44 4

2 32

1

41 2 1 1 1 2 2 2 1

3 2 20

2 3 11

02 4

03

14

126

4

7

65 5 8

9

4 7

9

37 7

53 3

1 1 2

4 7

2

136 4 7

710

02 11

78

4

13

9

11

8

11

9 910

12

78

14

5

9 9

7

5 5

3 3 3

7

9

4

13

87

8

10 10

3

6

1110

9

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Apr-92

May

June

July

August

Sep.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.

93

Feb.

Mar.

Apr.

May

June

July

Aug.

Sep.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.9

4

Feb.

Mar.

Apr.

May

June

July

Aug.

Sep

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.

95

Feb.

March

Total

Agg. Aslt.

Robbery

Rape

Homicide


0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

1992Apl

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

1993Jan

Feb

Mar

Apl

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

1994Jan

Feb

Mar

Apl

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec


23/47


May1997

21

Felony drug arrest patterns in R D 923 did seem to decrease slightly i n the months following the injunction. T he

overall numbers are too small however to make a conclusive interpretation of the data. T he months pri or to the injunction

showed approximately five to 15 arrests per month, while the months following the injunction averaged between approxi-

mately one and 10 per month.


RD 924 borders RD 925 to the west. RD 924 is bounded by Roscoe Boulevard on the north, Sepulveda

Boulevard on the west, the Pacoima W ash flood control channel on the east and a Southern Pacific R ailroad right-of-way

on the south. It is another of the districts included in this review that border high crime areas, but are not high crime

districts themselves by the standards employed in the 1993 L A PD V an N uys D ivision review.

R D 924 experienced the same bottoming out of violent crime in F ebruary, 19 93, as the city as a whole. Crime

increased markedly in A pri l and then zig-zagged through the rest of the period, wi th numbers of violent crimes equaling or

surpassing A pril , 19 93, in three different months. A ctual numbers of violent crime incidents in this area are small,

making statistical comparisons risky on a month-by-month basis.

V iolent crime continued to moderate throughout 19 95 and 199 6, during whi ch there were only six or more violentcrimes in the district in just three months. In all of 1995, there were 42 violent crimes in the district, and 39 in 1996.


0

5

10

15

20

25

1992Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

1993Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

1994Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec


0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 1 0

1

02

0 0 0 0 0 0

2

0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 00

0 0 0 0 00

3 22

1

1

1

3

1 1 0

3 3

0

2

1 1 0 0

3 2

11 1

1 02

2 3 22

1 1 1 1 1

4

53

5

4

5

3

4

4 3

1

25

5

2

1

5 7

2

0

3

1

4

0

7

4

4 3

6

11 6 5

1

5

1

4

8

5

8

5

8

4

9

5

4

1

5

8

5

7

2

6

7

2

3

6

2

6

2

8

4

6 6

9

3

4

7

6

2

6

2

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

Apr-92

May

June

July

August

Sep.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.

93

Feb.

Mar.

Apr.

May

June

July

Aug.

Sep.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.9

4

Feb.

Mar.

Apr.

May

June

July

Aug.

Sep

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.

95

Feb.

March

Total

Agg. Aslt.

Robbery

Rape

Homicide


24/47


May1997

22

Call for service volume rose in R D 924 in the months immediately after the B lythe Street inj unction, but fell

beginning in September, 1993, before rising again in late 1994.

Felony drug arrests totals per month in R D 924 were consistently small, fluctuating between one and eight. T his

pattern was unchanged after the injunction was issued in A pril , 19 93.


0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

1992Apl

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

1993Jan

Feb

Mar

Apl

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

1994Jan

Feb

Mar

Apl

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec


0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

1992Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

1993Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

1994Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec


25/47


May1997

23


R D 926 , on the eastern edge of R D 925 , is bounded by V an N uys Boulevard on the west, R oscoe Boulevard on

the north, R anchito A venue on the east and a Southern P acific Railroad right-of-way on the south. A lthough it

immediately adjoins RD 925, it i s not one of the districts identif ied as especially beset by violent crime problems in 1993.

A s in other comparatively qui et districts, violent crime numbers in R D 926 are low. Its data reflect the same

February, 1993, low point as the rest of the city and numbers rise and fall errati cally thereafter. T here was a drop in

violent crimes beginning in M arch, 1993 , but rates recovered sporadically thereafter and hit l evels as high or nearly as

high as the period immediately before the Blythe Street injunction was issued by the winter and spring of 1994.

A lthough numbers of violent crimes remained low in 1995 and 199 6, they held steady and did not follow the

citywide pattern of decline. In 1995, there were 49 violent crimes in RD 926, followed by 45 in 1996.

Call for service volumes show very low overall numbers throughout the period, declining sporadically after the dateof the injunction, but pi cking up again beginning in M arch, 1994.


0 0 0 0 0 01

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 0 0 00

0 0 0 0 01

0 0 01

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 01 1

01

46

2

1

42

1

62

3 3

00 2

01 1

0

53

20 0

20

21

21 1

2 2

3 3

1

5

2

1

4

2

1

00

2

2 21

30

3

41 1

0

3

45

2 2

4

1

23

0 20

0

3

4 4

1

6 6

7 7

3

5

2

1

8

5 5

4

3

1

5

4

2 2

0

87 7

2 2

6

1

4 4

2

3

1

2

5

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

Apr-92

May

June

July

August

Sep.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.

93

Feb.

Mar.

Apr.

May

June

July

Aug.

Sep.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.9

4

Feb.

Mar.

Apr.

May

June

July

Aug.

Sep

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.

95

Feb.

March

Total

Agg. Aslt.

Robbery

Rape

Homicide


0

10

2030

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

1992Apl

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

1993Jan

Feb

Mar

Apl

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

1994Jan

Feb

Mar

Apl

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec


26/47


May1997

24

Felony drug arrests in RD 926 never went above two per month at any time during the course of this study. T hese

numbers are too small to make any generalization, but the pattern of arrest totals remained consistent after the injunction

of A pril, 1993.


0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

2

1992

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

1993

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

1994

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec


R D 936 , one of the 10 most violent crime-ridden districts in V an N uys D ivision in 1993 , is bounded by a

Southern Pacific R ailroad ri ght-of-way on the north, Sepulveda B oulevard on the west, V an N uys Boulevard on the east

and Sherman W ay on the South.

A fter a brief decline in February, 1993, violent crime rates rose through A pril , dropped for the following three

months, spiked upward in A ugust, 19 93 and then declined through the following A pril . T hey increased sporadically

thereafter. T hey ended the period higher than they were when city officials fil ed for the Blythe Street gang inj unction, but

lower than when the injunction was actually issued.

H owever, i n L A PD figures analyzed for this report but not reflected in these charts, violent crime increased

throughout this district in 1995, to 182 incidents from 169 the previous year. It dropped again to 149 incidents in 1996.


1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 2 0 12 1 0 1 0 1 1 2 0 2 2 2

20 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

107

2

83 3

1 4 4

14

47

37 8 3

8 5 53 3 1

5 3 4 5 1 6 4 4 2 4 47

3 4

78

9

10

913 10 10

5

10

109 18

118

8

23

8 59 8 10

8 11 8

16

86 11 8 17 10 11

9

410

18

15

11

20

12

17

14 15

9

25

14

17

2220

1613

33

1513 12 12 11

13 14 12

21

1012

1513

19

14 1516

7

14

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Apr-92

May

June

July

August

Sep.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.

93

Feb.

Mar.

Apr.

May

June

July

Aug.

Sep.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.9

4

Feb.

Mar.

Apr.

May

June

July

Aug.

Sep

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.

95

Feb.

March

Total

Agg. Aslt.

Robbery

Rape

Homicide


27/47


May1997

25

V olumes of calls for pol ice service show and ir regular increase between A pri l and A ugust, 1993, then decline only

to creep upward again in mid-1994.

Felony drug arrest patterns in R D 936, of between approximately one and five arrests per month remained

consistent after the injunction was issued in A pril , 19 93.


0

50

100

150

200

250

300

1992Apl

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

1993Jan

Feb

Mar

Apl

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

1994Jan

Feb

Mar

Apl

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec


0

1

2

3

4

5

6

1992Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

19

93Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

19

94Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec


28/47


May1997

26


R D 937 , a corner of which abuts RD 925 , is another di strict that i s not among the 10 most violent crime-prone in

V an N uys D ivision in 1993 . It is bounded by a Southern Pacific Rail road right-of-way on the north, H azeltine A venue

on the east, V an N uys Boulevard on the west and Sherman W ay on the South.

V iolent crime volumes in R D 937 had been sporadically l ow in l ate 1992 and reflect the citywide decline for

February, 199 3. A lthough these numbers declined after the month the B lythe Street gang injunction was issued in A pril ,

1993, the numbers are small i n comparison to other di stricts where more crime was reported. N evertheless, violent crime

in th is district remained above levels of February, 19 93 , through September of that year. A fter a pause in late 1993 and

early 1994, violent crime rose again in mid-1994.

In 1995 , violent crime in R D 937 remained at the level reported in 1993 86 crimes. In 1996 , there were 68

violent crimes in this district.

Figure 2-37: Violent Crime RD 937

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 00

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 03

13 2 3 2

32 2

02

42 1

21 2 1

11 1

42 1

62 2 2 1 1

31

5 4 21

1 42

8 55

6

0

56 2

511

86

5

9

3

7

2 2

12

2

4

6 5

15

74

3 6

5 86

2

45 5

10

87

10

2

76

4

9

13

9 9

6

11

4

9

3 3

54

3

10

87

17

8

56

7

10

12

9

3

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Apr-92

May

June

July

August

Sep.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.

93

Feb.

Mar.

Apr.

May

June

July

Aug.

Sep.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.9

4

Feb.

Mar.

Apr.

May

June

July

Aug.

Sep

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.

95

Feb.

March

Total

Agg. Aslt.

Robbery

Rape

Homicide

Cal ls for poli ce service show an erratic pattern, but the volume rises overall between A pri l and September, 1993,and meanders upward and downward thereafter.

T he felony drug arrest data for R D 937 were incomplete. A ccordingly, no i nterpretation withi n this category was

possible and they do not appear in graphic form here.


0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

1992Apl

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

1993Jan

Feb

Mar

Apl

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

1994Jan

Feb

Mar

Apl

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec


29/47


May1997

27


R D 944 is one of the 10 high crime districts identified by the L A PD in V an Nuys Division in 1993 . It is

bounded by Sherman W ay on the north, the San D iego Freeway on the west, Sepulveda Boul evard on the east and

V ictory Boulevard on the south.

V iolent crime in R D 944 declined in January, 1993 , rose slightly in February, M arch and A pril and then shows a

rapid and pronounced increase over the following five months. V iolent crime levels remained above the level of A pri l,

1993, when the B lythe Street gang inj unction was issued, unti l D ecember of that year. R ates increased in early 1994 and

remained above A pril , 1993 , levels through the end of the period.

V iolent crime volume remained stubbornly high in R D 944 throughout 1995 and 1996 in L A PD data analyzed

for thi s report but not shown in these charts. T en or more violent crimes were reported i n the distri ct in each of five

months during this two-year period, with 17 occurring in December, 1995, alone.

T he volume of call s for service shows that levels reached a peak in A pri l, 1993, when the B lythe Street inj unctionwas issued, but remained at levels nearly as high through most of the following five months.


0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 1 01

0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 01 2 14

32 6 7

7

2 3 2 2

8

12

26

96

7

3 1 0

7

3 1 2 2 0 3 16

14

2 0

8 85

89 6

6 4

6

23 3 4

4

7

10

129

8 2

0 31

2

67 6 7 5

9 11 4

7 1 6 7

910

6

1312

1112

11

15

4

6 6 6

12

21

12

18 18

14

10

34

1

109

8 89

6

1213

10

8

6

87

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Apr-92

May

June

July

August

Sep.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.

93

Feb.

Mar.

Apr.

May

June

July

Aug.

Sep.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.9

4

Feb.

Mar.

Apr.

May

June

July

Aug.

Sep

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.

95

Feb.

March

Total

Agg. Aslt.

Robbery

Rape

Homicide


0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

1992Apl

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

1993Jan

Feb

Mar

Apl

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

1994Jan

Feb

Mar

Apl

May

Jun

Jul

Au

Documents

False Premise, False Promise