Until early 2004, City Hall routinely reported crime data by Council district, but ended the practice entering the 2004 election cycle. Digital technology now enables us to resume providing the public with information that City Hall no longer does...plus added details.

In Detail: By the Numbers: 2012 Violent Crime Totals Compared by Council Districts 1st Council dist. had highest total, 5th dist. had the lowest 1st, 6th, 2nd and 9th Council districts averaged between one and two violent crimes every day in 2012; 5th Dist. had roughly one every five days
In Detail: By the Numbers: 2012 Property Crimes (Burglaries & Thefts/Larceny) Compared by Council Districts
By the Numbers: 2012 Long Beach Shootings Mapped...And Ranked By Council Districts Includes comparison of 2011 shootings.
6th (Andrews), 1st (Garcia) and 9th (Neal) LB Council Districts Accounted For Over Half of City's 2012 Shootings; Each Averaged Over One Shooting Per Week 3rd dist. had four shootings in 2012; 5th dist. had none
In Detail: By the Numbers: Maps Show Long Beach Crime By Council Districts, With Increases & Decreases Total Part 1 Crime percent change from 2011-2012. LBREPORT.com graphic

Council district lines are political and thus to some extent inherently arbitrary, but inasmuch as Councilmembers routinely seek credit for what takes place in their districts, we think the public has a right to know crime conditions in the areas that Council incumbents were elected to represent.

In our view, the maps and data are analogous to an ultrasound or an X-ray. They're not perfectly sharp images but they do provide a useful tool for analysis and interpretation.

Regarding data in table form: not all areas within a Council district experience crime at the average rate. For example, the western portion of the 4th Council district (near Cherry Ave.) had significantly more violent crimes than the eastern end (Los Altos).

Some underlying data is less than clear. In a small percentage of cases, shootings (identified only within the "100" block of a street) fall on a street that borders two two Council districts (one district on one side of the street, another on the other side). Our mapping is as precise as we can make it, but for data tables the few shootings on streets bordering two Council districts are allocated half to one district and half to another.

Finally, and very important: every statistic represents a real person. These are not just numbers; they are people.

And beyond the victims directly involved, many other people living and working in crime-impacted areas endure streets blocked by crime scene tape, helicopters whirring overhead and sometimes the inability to enter or leave one's neighborhood as police investigate crime scenes or search for perpetrators. Residents of an entire neighborhood have suffer impacts to their quality of life although they're not counted in conventional crime statistics.