City Councilman Mitch O'Farrell calls for increased police presence in Hollywood to promote public safety
As a concerning increase in crime rates plagues several Southland communities, Los Angeles City Council is looking to increase police presence to promote public safety.
In an effort to curb the troubling numbers, City Councilman Mitch O'Farrell, who represents the 13th District which passes through a large portion of the Hollywood area, has called for local law enforcement to expand their presence.
He's looking to transfer a lump sum of $216,000 to the Los Angeles Police Department in order to make this hope a reality, with the department creating new shifts to patrol the area. LAPD detailed that the money could help with the hiring of up to 200 new officers, as well as an uptick in patrols from officers on bikes and horses and in cars.
The councilman cited concerning numbers from a year again, noting statistics like a 75% increase in homicides, highlighted by a pair of incidents which occurred within weeks of each other in June, after a man was shot and killed following an altercation, and two people were fatally shot just feet from their children by one of their current partners.
O'Farrell's office also noted a 35.6% increase in shots fired in the area, again evidenced by event just days ago, when a man fired several shots from an apartment balcony near the Hollywood Farmers Market.
LAPD recently warned the public of follow-home robberies, a recent trend that contributes to the 19.4% increase in robberies and the 24.7% jump in reported thefts.
"If you plan to come to Hollywood to commit crime, you are not welcome," O'Farrell said during a press conference on Wednesday. "All Angelenos should feel safe where they live and work."
According to the motion presented by O'Farrell's office, Hollywood's resources are exceeded by the demand for public safety.
"Hollywood is as diverse, if not more, than any other part of the city itself, and having more resources concentrated in this area would be beneficial to ensuring public safety, particularly to the most vulnerable of society," the motion says.
The motion has been referred to the Public Safety Committee for further consideration.
""People need to feel safe when they're in Hollywood," said Blake Chow, Deputy Chief for the Los Angeles Police Department. "We're thankful to Councilmember O'Farrell for these additional resources and look forward to quickly putting them to use to prevent, deter and address crime."