Councilmember Harris-Dawson recently initiated a cooperative effort between the LAPD, LAFD, Parks and Recreation, City Attorney, and the Mayor’s Office of Gang Reduction and Youth Development (GRYD) to analyze and reevaluate the City’s current public safety approach, and to involve the community in developing a shared vision for reducing gun violence in South L.A.
Harris-Dawson called for a collaborative-cross jurisdictional effort among City Departments in proposing a tactical plan that explores gang intervention, crime reduction and community policing models saying, “Today we set the stage in how we rethink the traditional public safety model by cultivating a more inclusive partnership between government, police, and community that recognizes the dignity of our residents.”
City officials advised on how to implement a community policing plan that adopts successful elements of the Community Safety Partnership (CSP) which has been proven effective in reducing crime in housing developments. CSP relies on a realignment of assignment priorities for beat officers, intentional community engagement efforts, and facilitates better interactions and stronger relations between residents and officers.
City leaders discussed the need to provide more funding for city departments that facilitate year round programming for young adults especially in areas that have seen the highest spike in homicides, and the need to better support gang intervention workers and maximize their efforts with training, better compensation and stronger protections.
To date, the city as a whole has experienced an increase in homicides with 191 people murdered. South Los Angeles has disproportionately suffered from this violent surge. In the month of August, there were 39 victims, half of which occurred in 77th, Southeast and Newton police divisions-areas that Harris-Dawson mostly represents.
