Report SLO participation and Current Criminal Statistics.
Amid the COVID-19 outbreak, criminal reports are still coming in. According to the Community-Police Advisory Board Meeting on Monday, May 4. There has been a significant decrease in amount of crime reported. Captain Billy Brockway of the Southwest Police Department led a public meeting, outlining the criminal statistics within the southwest area. There were reports from several different officers, describing recent shootings, grand theft auto, and other crimes that are transpiring through the south of Los Angeles. The meeting ended with a PSA that revealed the #WeWill hash-tag, providing guidance in social distancing that is aligned with the city’s mayor office.
The Southwest Community Police Station covers 13.11 square miles, bordering the I-10 and the I-110 freeways. Between the south of Vernon Avenue to the west of La Cienega, there is a diverse community with a total population of 165,000 people. The Southwest police station falls under the jurisdiction of the south Bureau. The region includes: Baldwin Village, Baldwin Vista, Crenshaw Community, Jefferson Park, Leimert Park, Crenshaw District, West Adams Community, and University Park. 352 sworn-in personnel and 32 civilians are led by Captain Billy Brockway and Captain Divyesh Shah.
Monday, May 4. Captain Brockway hosted a virtual meeting open to the public, to build transparency of the police staff and the community they serve. Brockway stated, “These are incredibly trying times, and more than anything, more of the unknown is happening every single day.” He left an open invitation to reach out to the southwest police station to receive the most accurate and updated information. Brockway mentioned that they are also in alignment with the Los Angeles City Mayor, he referenced Eric Garcetti’s social media platforms as another resource for daily updates about the L.A. community.
The South West Division goals include reducing all types of crime by 5% and increasing the detective participation within the community. Captain Billy Brockway went into detail about outreach programs that are developing at this time. The senior lead officers ( SLOs) participate in Zoom calls with some of the kids in the community, Brockway said the purpose is to “ Just to let them know we are here.” It works similar to a show-and-tell. Recently on a zoom meeting with the youth, the captain gave a tour of the station with his youngest daughter and her classmates. Other outreach programs include food giveaways in Expo Park, Prayer Call-in every Wednesday at 1pm, and the SLOs have partnered up with USC to identify families in need. Last week police staff made food deliveries to 15 families.
Crime is still happening during this COVID-19 Pandemic, but it had dramatic decrease over the course of the Stay at Home Order. Within the Southwest Division, the most reported type of crime is robbery and Grand theft Auto. Between March 18. to present, there has been approximately 91 reported cases of robbery and about 159 Motor Vehicle Theft cases. There are cases of pick pocketing and a rise in vandalism and Graffiti. There has been one reported case of Homicide, four cases of rape, and approximately 147 cases of aggravated assault.
There was one fatal shooting reported on April 28. still under scrutiny. The current investigation revealed that on April 27. Police officers responded to a radio call of shots fired on the 14600 block of Blythe Street. The victim was identified as Jose Gamiz De Leon, detectives believe that this was a gang related shooting.
There have been search warrants that led to the confiscation of narcotics and heavy artillery. In result to auto theft, officers have donated “the club” to prevent repeated robbery of the cars. All of the SLOs that spoke stressed the preventive measures that need to be taken to avoid criminal acts, such as hiding your belongings, locking your cars, being aware of the environment and staying mindful of what to do in case of an emergency.
There was a public service announcement (PSA) that debuted after the meeting. It was filmed in front of the L.A. Memorial Coliseum last week. The public service announcement portrayed the guidance of the Safer at Home initiative, as Los Angeles emerges back outside, #WeWill movement promotes wearing a mask and gloves and all the safety measures to stay aligned with social distancing. #WeWill stands for “ We Will get through this.” Within the PSA, Officers pledged, “ We Will be there to protect and serve, We Will be there when you call, We Will learn from this, We Will keep you safe, and We Will all get through this together.”
