Sunday Safety Update: 03/06/16 - 03/13/16

Here are the crime trends for this week in the MacArthur Park Neighborhood. The map is almost empty this week. There was property crime that trends towards some auto thefts, that trend North East towards 17th and Orange. Be careful at the south end of Orange and Anaheim, the property crime is in the same place as an encampment that was just removed. In Cambodia Town East, there were also some property crime along St Louis and 11th that trend up towards St Louis and Anaheim where some assaults took place. The car thefts around Rotary Centennial Park appear to be heading away from the neighborhood this week.

There is a ton of tagging and dumping in an alley that spans Gaviota to Rose. The alley is just behind Anaheim. As part of our Neighborhood Expansion program this week we clean half of that alley and reported all the tagging for clean up. We also did a Go Long Beach Run through our own neighborhood and the AOC7. The AOC7 has a clean up next week. 

The map now shows where the dumped items are, so if the city doesn't pick it up before the clean up, AOC7 can just hand that map to Public Works. 

There have not been shootings since the last round. However, the one that took place in North Long Beach at Artesia and Butler, now has identified the victim. Authorities Tuesday identified a man killed in a possible gang-related shooting in Long Beach that also left another man wounded. The shooting occurred about 3 p.m. Thursday near Butler Avenue and Artesia Boulevard, said Long Beach police Sgt. Brad Johnson. Tyrone Douglas, 19, of Long Beach died at a hospital, said coroner’s Assistant Chief Ed Winter. We are trying to identify victims, to prevent any shootings in Central Long Beach from being statistics as opposed to names/ real people.

Sunday Safety Update: 02/21/2016 to 02/27/2016

The map above shows little change from early trends. There are thefts along PCH and Orange heading into the neighborhood and then up. There is a rise in assaults at the east end of the neighborhood, please be very careful as there was a shooting in that area recently.

02/09/2016: LBPD Public Information Officer Sgt. Bradley Johnson says that at about 12:25 a.m. on Feb. 9, officers were dispatched to a shooting in the 2200 block of Spaulding St. and found a man shot. Sgt. Johnson says the victim was uncooperative with police; LBFD transported him to a hospital with non-life-threatening wounds. 

There is a trend of auto thefts and property crime, just south of us at the west end of the AOC7 heading north towards the neighborhood. The property crime tends to foreshadow worse things to come, so be cautious around 11th/ 10th between Orange and Gundry. There is also a week trend of auto thefts along Rotary Centennial Park. Auto theft is down here overall. We still have two wheel clubs ready for one Wrigley and one MacArthur Park resident willing to take the Neighborhood Pledge. It's a nice gift for agreeing to keep your neighborhood clean.

Break in the  Alicia Faith Todd Case

I am also grateful to announce there was an arrest made in the shooting of Alicia Faith Todd of Signal Hill. Police say they've arrested a man in connection to the case of a young woman shot dead in an alley in Long Beach last summer. Following an investigation, police arrested Tremaine Lewis, 24, of Long Beach, last Thursday. Police said Lewis was in a domestic relationship with Todd and the two were together on the night of the murder. If you have any information about this case, you're urged to contact Long Beach Police Department homicide detectives at (562) 570-7244.

Take the Neighborhood Pledge

There was also an arrest in the December shooting of North Long Beach resident on 02/22/2016. Keonte Runell Jones, 23, who is also known as “Blue Dawg,” pleaded not guilty Jan. 22 to one count of murder with allegations that he used a handgun and committed the crime in association with a street gang, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. He is accused of shooting Roosevelt Newton at Orange Avenue and East Washington Street in Long Beach on Dec. 10.

Washington Neighborhood Shooting

There was another shooting on Thursday in the Washington Neighborhood.Officers were dispatched to the 300 block of West 14th Street at 11:05PM on Thursday, February 25 regarding a possible shooting, Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) spokesman Brad Johnson said. “Upon arrival, officers found evidence that a bullet had struck the house but did not enter and no one was injured,” he added. We already attacked the gang element by doing a Go Long Beach Run and reporting all gang related tagging on Cedar, We'll do it again ASAP..

Sunday Safety Watch: 02/07/2016 to 02/20/2016

Disclaimer: So, first I apologize for how long it's taken to get this up, The Crime Reports Website was down for much of January. I did talk to the director of Media Relations at a public safety meeting and tell our neighborhood resource officer, they weren't aware it wasn't updating. Just a reminder these are trends, and the presence of crime in one area in the past doesn't guarentee it will reappear in that area in the future.

The map above spans two weeks. You will notice all the patterns are weak, hence the pink lines. The darker the arrow, the stronger the trend. First off, not much is happening according to the map in February. It does appear assaults and property crime [graffiti] are on the rise. They seem to weekly trend up from Cherry towards 14th Street and Gundry. Josie and I did a patrol through the neighborhood pretty late into the night, and it was rather quiet.

A Go Long Beach Run through the area showed Gang tagging is up. In response, we hit several areas outside the neighborhood with Go Long Beach. We also used Code Enforcement with businesses that refuse to take the tagging down. - See the Neighborhood Expansion Report Below

There is also a week trend of assorted crimes along Spaulding in the East end of the MacArthur Park Neighborhood of Central Long Beach. There is also a trend of thefts along Alamitos. Bear in mind the construction on Alamitos around Rosa Parks Park gives bad people a place to hide. When walking along Alamitos, please carry a flash light and walk in pairs when possible.

Neighborhood Expansion: Heavy tagging by the East Side Longos, a tagging crew and somebody else. Cedar and Chestnut Streets are the strong hold for the East Side Longos. I was verbally assaulted by a "gang" member when I was taking the pictures, didn't scare me. I stood my ground and he backed off. Also meet Gustavo, his garage has been tagged 6 to 7 times and he repaints it every time, he knows who does it ,talked with the father of the boy but the father didn't care. Attention: The post about the tagging I did, the GO Long Beach App had most of the tagging cleaned up before 12pm today. I want to thank them for their fast response. So I'm going to try to help him repaint it and talk with the kid and father.- Josephine Villasenor/ Wrigley Community Watch

The police have released a recap of crime stats last year via the website Next Door: Here's a summary. Total Part 1 crime increased 15.9% from 2014; violent crime increased 18.8%; and property crime increased 15.4%. The number of aggravated assaults increased 18.9%; and 17 of the 36 murders in 2015 were gang-related. Reductions were seen in four property crime categories: residential burglary decreased 11%; garage burglary decreased 7.2%; commercial burglary decreased 12.1%; and arson decreased 8.2%.

The West Division Leadership Forum will be held on 02/24/2016. It will again be held at Grant AME Church at 1129 Alamitos Ave, at 6pm. The subject will be preventing auto theft, which we covered in detail here.

July to August: MacArthur Park Crime Totals

July Stats (MacArthur Park Neighborhood Only):

1. Theft from Vehicles (13 Total): No obvious pattern.
2. Theft of Vehicles (7 Total): Mostly clustering around Rotary Centennial Park. 
3. Property Crime (6 Total): They usually happen south of 15th Street, much like the assaults
4. Quality of Life (5 Total): Two at each park which are possession. The other is disorder.
5. Breaking & Entering (5 Total): Mostly clustering around Rotary Centennial Park.
6. Assaults (5 Total): They seem to follow 14th Street. Also around Rotary Centennial Park.
7. Robbery (4 total): Mostly clustering around Anaheim towards the park.
8. Theft (4 total): Depends greatly on how you define the neighborhood. No real pattern.
9. Homicide (1 Total): The 4th of July Homicide. Suspect in custody One unsolved outside the neighborhood.
10. Sexual Offense, Fire, Emergency, Proactive Policing Other (0 Total)

50 Total incidents

 August Stats (MacArthur Park Neighborhood Only):

1. Property Crime (9 Total): All west of Gardenia. Otherwise, no pattern/ up 30%.
2. Theft from Vehicles (8 Total): No obvious pattern. On other side of Old Zaferia Way this more than doubles. Down about 30%.
3. Assaults (6 Total): No pattern; even spread. Up 16%.
4. Theft (6 total): No real pattern. Up 33%.
5. Theft of Vehicles (4 Total): No obvious pattern. On other side of Old Zaferia Way this more than doubles. Down 42%.
6. Robbery (3 total): Be careful in the alley between Walnut and Gaviota. Down 25%.
7. Vehicle Recovery (2 Total): Anaheim and Walnut/ Stanton and 15th. Not recorded last month, but up 50%. 
8. Quality of Life (1 Total): Meth/ PCP at Cherry and PCH. Down 80%.
9. Breaking & Entering (0 Total): 100% improvement
10. Homicide (0 Total):Down 100%. There was an attempted shooting at Gaviota and 14th. Drive by/ suspected as gang related.
11. Sexual Offense, Fire, Emergency, Proactive Policing Other (0 Total): No Chage

39 Total Incidents (22% Decrease in crime)

Summary: In August there were 39 total Incidents ( a 22% Decrease in crime). Theft from Vehicles, theft of vehicles, robbery, breaking and entering, homicide, quality of life, are all trending down. Assaults, robbery and property crime are trending up.

The City Has Released This Press Release Regarding Crime

The City of Long Beach announced today the efforts underway from the Long Beach Public Safety Continuum in response to recent increases in crime. In 2014, the City achieved the lowest reported number of violent crimes in 42 years. However, over the past few months, overall crime has increased 5.3 percent when compared to the 5 year average through May 31, 2015.

“Every department in the city is working to address this summer spike in violence and to keep every community safe,” said Mayor Robert Garcia.

“We are very concerned about a recent spike in violent assaults,” said Long Beach Police Chief Robert Luna. “We are working closely with City Departments on a public safety initiative, and increasing our efforts to enhance partnerships within the community. Keeping our city safe is everyone’s responsibility, and I look forward to working together to make an impact on crime.”

The Police Department continues to be proactive in efforts to combat crime. Officers are responding to high priority calls citywide in under five minutes, allowing for more opportunity to capture suspects and start investigations.

The City of Long Beach strongly encourages the community to be an active member in combating crime, and asks that “If you see something, say something.” All cities need the members of the public to come forward and provide information on what is happening in their community.

“Our police need our support so if you see a crime being committed, it needs to be reported so we can hold those who commit violent crimes accountable," said Mayor Garcia.

A CITYWIDE PUBLIC SAFETY EFFORT

The Police Department continues to partner with the City Prosecutor’s Office by enforcing Gang Court Orders, to suppress gangs from having control over our neighborhoods. Ninety-nine Gang Court Order arrests have been made so far this year, while 167 Gang Court Order arrests were made last year (2014).

With the support of City Council, $350,000 in non-recurring funding is currently being used to target residential property crime, allowing the Police Department to bolster efforts towards investigating and preventing burglaries. As of the end of May, the city has experienced 212 fewer residential burglaries for 2015, in comparison to May of last year, which is a 21.9 percent decrease.

Here’s a comparison of some categories of crime through May 2015, and compared to the five-year average (avg.): 

• Murder, down 27 percent; down 47 percent avg.
• Aggravated assault, up 33 percent; up 12 percent avg.
• Garage burglary, down 3 percent; down 9 percent avg.
• Auto burglary, up 5 percent; down 5 percent avg.
• Grand Theft Auto, up 6 percent; up 4 percent avg.
• Petty theft greater than $50, up 72 percent; up 8 percent avg.

The entire Long Beach community benefits from the City’s Public Safety Continuum, which augments Police and Fire services with the work of several other City Departments and services all contributing to making Long Beach a better, and safer, city, including Library Services; Parks, Recreation and Marine; Workforce Development; City Prosecutor’s Office; Code Enforcement; Homeless and other Health Services; Graffiti Removal; and Affordable Housing.

The City also reaches out and works extensively with our community partners, including neighborhood organizations, non-profit agencies, and other government agencies.

The City’s Violence Prevention Plan, known as Safe Long Beach, has been nationally recognized by the U.S. Department of Justice, which provides an advantage in receiving federal grant awards to implement the plan.

Safe Long Beach is a comprehensive strategic plan for action to prevent violence in families, schools, and communities. Addressing a broad safety agenda, Safe Long Beach draws upon the City’s many existing assets. These include strong neighborhoods and neighborhood organizations, a thriving downtown, continuously emerging economic development opportunities, award winning schools, and stable leadership.

By forging relationships across disciplines, professions, and neighborhood boundaries, the Plan seeks to help provide victims with the protection and services they need to pursue safe and healthy lives.

The City will be planning an event in the area most affected by the recent increase in crime to offer services from the Public Safety Continuum, and engage youth in our community in a positive way.

For more news, pictures, videos and announcements of what’s happening in Long Beach, ‘Like’ us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CityofLongBeachCA

Majpr Safety Alert: Vehicle Thefts Just North of 14th

Major Safety Alert: There was a concentration of three vehicle thefts along 14th street, very close to each other and on the same day. Almost every theft is reported as occurring or reported in the early morning. And almost every theft is was just north of 14th street. A fourth took place on Gardenia, just south of 17th on the right side of the street, just one day earlier; there was also a theft from a vehicle on Grundy and 16th on about the same day. Please keep eyes open on 14th/ 15th and on Walnut. Any street that traverses the neighborhood. Please take the time to reread keeping your car protected from vehicle theft.

Sunday Safety Update: MacArthur Park Neighborhood

This week, within the MacArthur Park neighborhood it was pretty quiet. On the outskirts, there were some incidents. The longer arrow follows a trend of Vandalism along PCH that continues south of PCH and to Ohio Street in the Zaferia neighborhood on the 16th. This vandalism began with 3 incidents on May 11th. The one on Ohio, involved four. It's reasonable to assume there is a strong likelihood the same taggers were heading south east.

Remember you can use the Go Long Beach App to get rid of any unwanted tagging within about a day.

The shorter line is a trend of vehicle thefts and burglaries following PCH. There is less of a pattern for these crimes except that they are clustering around PCH. There is also a cluster of property crimes along Ohio street outside of our neighborhood. That is interesting since there is also tagging on an area of Ohio street that is not connected to that cluster.

Keep an eye on major streets like PCH and Ohio, despite the fact it isn't in our neighborhood.