(Sept. 24, 2015) -- As seen LIVE on LBREPORT.com, the Council's Public Safety Committee (chair Price, vice-chair Supernaw, member Austin) met on Sept. 22 and, per chair Price, heard a presentation from LBPD Deputy Chief David Hendricks regarding recent shooting activity in the City.

During the Committee proceedings, Chair Price volunteered that some of her Council colleagues [incumbents she didn't name] who aren't Committee members asked her to bring the issue forward.

[Scroll down for further.]

Dep. Chief Hendricks testified that LBPD "has the capability to track shootings and gang shootings by geographic patrol divisions but not by Council district." He said LBPD's west division (comprised of its former south + west divisions) currently has the highest number of shootings.

[LBREPORT.com routinely reports shootings by Council district by manually correlating the address (reported by block) to Council districts. In recent weeks and to some extent historically, parts of Council districts 1 and 6, and to a lesser extent parts of districts 8 and 9 and the western end of district 4, have been disproportionately plagued by shootings. At the same time, other parts of LB (districts 3 and 5 and the eastern (Los Altos) portion of district 4) have mainly been spared.

LBPD doesn't routinely report shootings; it includes them within the collective category of "aggravated assaults" (which can include a bar fight with a broken bottle.) LBPD's practice is consistent with federal crime reporting rules...although nothing prevents LBPD from providing a separate break-out for shootings. We report them as we learn about them.

[Scroll down for further.]

Advertisement

Advertisement

Dep. Chief Hendricks says LBPD has classified 42% of shootings this year to date as "gang related" (meaning the shooter or the victim was a gang member.) He said LBPD's current strategies to address shootings include:

Appropriate staffing to coinicide with the times and days of the week that shootings are most likely to occur;

Enforcement of the local curfew ordinance to deter juveniles from commiting a shooting or becoming the victim of a shooting;

Service and enforcement of gang court orders

Weekly updates from crime analysts, patrol commanders on when and where shootings are occurring;

Weekly updates from gang detectives on intelligence received as to portential or likely motives for gang shootings and the likelihood for retaliatory shootings to occur.

Local and regional narcotics enforcement to impact one of the common ways that gangs finance their operations

Focused enforcement at the divisional level by directed enforcement teams as well as calls for service patrol officers, our impact monitors and our PRCS team [Post Release Community Supervision/AB109 team]

We're fortunate to have the services of two Probation Officers...

Partnership with the City Prosecutor's office in the "Opt Out" program [a process to get removed from a gang court order]

Our vice detail aggressively pursues human trafficking suspects, most of whom they encounter are gang members.

Registration of gang members pursuant to Cal Penal Code 186.30

Aggressive investigations into residential burglaries funded by Council-provided non-recurring funds in this current fiscal year [presumed FY15]

The Police Dept. has augmented all patrol divisions with staff dedicating to address violent crime. Those resources are focused in the areas where the violent crime is occurring and they are given the most recent information provided by detectives and crime analysts.

Our Patrol Bureau is currently looking at the feasibility of increasing helicopter flight time to augment patrol resources.

In January, the City was awarded a three year, $1.5 million grant for anti-gang efforts and prevent the victimization of at risk youth; this CalGrip grant is being used to promote human trafficking awareness and to allow treatment, housing assistance and mentorship...

Like other city departments, we actively participate int he city's violence prevention plan, designed to prevent these acts of violence from ever occurring.

"In conclusion, the Police Department is constantly evaluating available data to better deploy resources according to these strategies. Additionally, the strategies themselves are constantly evaluated to see what is working, and what is not, and changes are made accordingly..."

Scroll down for further

Advertisement

Advertisement

Committee chair Price asked [paraphrase] if other cities have experienced increased shootings; Dep. Chief Henricks replied that they have and noted that in measuring increases, LB "has had the lowest violent crime rate since 1970." Price pressed Hendricks for possible explanations for LB's increase, asking (in a leading question) if the reasons might include AB 109 (Sac'to "realignment") and Prop 47 (downgraded some crimes from felonies to misdemeanors.) Hendricks agreed that those might be among the reasons, and added that LBPD's ability to remove someone from the street has been reduced by these measures "when [arrestees] don't stay in jail for any length of time for stealing a car, for drug possession...I think they have adversely impacted us [although] at this time it's really anecdotal information..."

Councilwoman Price said that the Council had recently [without dissent] voted for FY16 budget that includes what she described as "some moneys to have specific areas of focus for the chief where he believes additional resources needed, not structurally but on a one time basis." [Mayor Garcia has portrayed $2.2 million in one-time money as added to deal with violent crime and gangs. LBREPORT.com has reported the $2.2 million in one-time money was basically tapped to ensure sufficient annually required overtime. The PD OT can indeed be used (and is sometimes absolutely necessary) to deal with shootings, gangs...or various other things, but it isn't the same as LBPD's former field anti-gang unit, a separately dedicated unit of 20 officers + 2 sgts who operated in neighborhoods, interacting with residents and businesses, gathering tips and intelligence and the like. The FY13 budget cut the unit in half (10 officers + 1 sergeant.) The Council-enacted FY14, FY 15 and now FY16 budgets fail to include for any part of the former field anti-gang unit.

Advertisement

Advertisement

The Public Safety Committee meeting took place a week after the Council voted (without dissent) not to restore any part of LBPD's continues a status quo from FY15 that leaves LB taxpayers with a citywide deployable budgeted police level roughly equivalvent per capita to cutting about 30% of LAPD's budgeted officers,

Councilwoman Price asked what, if any, plans the Chief might have to reduce number of shootings, perhaps more aggressive gang enforcement. Hendricks replied that LBPD plans to continue doing basically what it's currently doing (which is basically to deploy resources where conditions warrant and may change from week to week, month to month, without a specifically dedicated structure.)

Councilman Austin asked if Dep. Chief Hendricks could provide any specifics about LBPD gang enforcement activities including possible "creative alternatives"; Dep. Chief Hendricks said it was unwise to give specifics that might tip gang members and reiterated that LBPD has no specific fixed plans in place but adjusts/modifies/deploys its resources [budgeted by the Council] as issues arise.

Councilman Austin raised issue of shooters illegally possessing weapons (convicted felons, etc.); Hendricks indicates pursuing that issue could be productive.

No Committee member directly asked Deputy Chief Hendricks to what extent, if at all, the increased shootings might be attributable to the Council's failure to budget sums for LBPD's former field anti-gang unit.

In passing, Dep. Chief Hendricks mentions current year [FY15 now ending] included "one time" Council budgeted funds to deal with residential burglaries, but no Committee members asked what, if anything, LBPD plans to do now entering FY16 re residential burgs.

No written report was provided; Committee chair Price asked for one for the Committee and for Councilmembers and Deputy Chief Hendricks indicated one would be provided.

The Public Safety Committee last met in April, 2015 (prior to Councilman Supernaw's election; he replaced Councilwoman Mungo on the Committee.) The Committee has no independent enactment power, but a majority can make recommendations to the full Council.

At its Sept. 22 meeting, the Committee voted to "receive and file" the agendized item on shootings without any recommendation to the full Council for discussion or possible action.