Safe and sound?
On March 1, 2017 I hosted a public-safety town-hall meeting with Long Beach Police Chief Robert Luna. Chief Luna and his staff addressed the concerns of District 1 residents and provided an update on crime in the First District and provided a citywide public-safety overview. Chief Luna mentioned the re-opening of the South Division, which will be led by Commander Smith.
In 2016, overall crime has increased 0.1 percent across Long Beach. Violent crime has increased 1.6 percent, adding up to approximately 96 more crimes than the previous year’s totals. However, even as violent crime has increased, the number of total homicides [has] decreased.
Recently, LBPD leadership attended the Coalition of Police Chiefs Conference in Washington D.C., where the increase in violent crimes across the U.S. and Canada was discussed. Property crime decreased from 2015 to 2016. A critical component to decreasing property crime has been community involvement and preventative measures (i.e. “See Something, Say Something” and the safeguarding of personal property). Many challenges have surfaced due to the environment of today’s criminal-justice system, including those brought about by AB 109, Proposition 47, Proposition 57 and the legalization of marijuana. Regarding homelessness, the Long Beach Health Department holds primary intervention responsibility.
It was stated that, in a 24-hour period, dispatch receives nearly 580 calls in addition to officer-initiated contacts exceeding 1,000 incidents. From 2015 to 2016, LBPD has experienced an increase of 6.6 percent in call volume. Measure A will lessen the burden on current LBPD officers and employees by allowing the department to hire additional personnel to man the revived South Division [and] training cadre and increase the number of recruits (38 graduating in March and 60 projected for April). The Metro Board of Directors unanimously voted to award the Blue Line security contract resulting in even more officer positions.
I’d like to thank Chief Luna, Commander Lewis, Lieutenant Coy, Detective Zamora and all of the Long Beach Police Department for their continuous hard work in keeping our residents safe.
Lena Gonzalez
Long Beach Councilmember
1st District
