Protecting the public

Mayor Villaraigosa has made improving public safety in Los Angeles a centerpiece of his administration. His work has put the city on the leading edge of law enforcement worldwide, using state-of-the-art technologies and unprecedented organizational cooperation to drastically reduce gang-related crime and protect Los Angeles from potential terrorist threats. Meanwhile, the Mayor continues to ensure that all law enforcement and public agencies reflect the highest commitment to diversity, civil liberties, and the trust of the community. A few concrete examples:

• Crime is down 23 percent under Mayor Villaraigosa’s leadership, the lowest since 1956.
• Even in tough economic times, Mayor Villaraigosa has kept his promise to hire a thousand police officers and is on pace to meet that goal by 2010.
• Villaraigosa created LA’s first comprehensive anti-gang strategy, appointed a citywide Gang Czar, targeted tough enforcement against the city’s eleven most violent gangs and expanded prevention programs for at-risk youth. Gang crime has dropped by ten percent and gang homicides are down by 32 percent.
• Mayor Villaraigosa led the passage of tough new laws to curb gang and gun violence, including a ban on fifty-caliber ammunition, increased licensing requirements for gun dealers and ordinances, increased licensing requirements for gun deals, and ordinance providing for evictions for people possessing illegal weapons and for confiscation of vehicles used in gang crimes.