The homicide rate is beginning to climb back up in Los Angeles. The city has experienced spikes before, but has enjoyed a long period of decline until recent years. Now, after more than a decade of dropping numbers, an upward trend is being seen.
Homicide Rates
Homicide Rates From 1980 to 2015
Historically, murder rates had stayed under 1000 after 1980. That changed in 1992 when gang crime and the L.A. Riots contributed to 1,094 murders in the city! In the years that followed, the number of homicides fell off again until 1995 when the rate went up to 852. By the year 2000, though, it had dropped back down to 550.
Los Angeles experienced a spike in 2002 with 654 murders. The rate fell steadily after that, though, throughout the 2000s. However, in 2014 and 2015, the number of homicides began to rise again. In 2013 there were 251. The number has gone up to 260 and 283 in 2014 and 2015 respectively.
Rise in Other Crimes
But it’s not just the homicide rates that are going up. Since 2014, rates have risen for the number of rapes, assaults and robberies.
Just as is the case with homicides, rape cases saw a general decline throughout the 2000s, as well. In 2014, though, the number increased from 764 the previous year to 1,126. In 2015, it jumped 9.1 percent to 1,649.
In fact, the total number of aggravated assaults in 2015, 13,569, was a whopping 27.8 percent increase from 2014. That year the number was at 10,615.
Looking Froward
This year, officials are already concerned about violent crime rates across the country. WashingtonPost.com reports that:
The number of homicides increased in the first months of 2016 in more than two dozen major U.S. cities, going up in places that also saw spiking violence last year… the numbers were particularly grim for a handful of places — Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas and Las Vegas.
If rates continue to go up as they have since 2014, it could begin to create a burden on law enforcement agencies already dealing with tight budgets. Communities will need to turn to private security to help fill in the gaps.
Are you curious how private security guards can protect your family, your business and your employees? Call us today at 877-722-8585 to talk to a security professional about the solutions we provide.
