2018 Crime Stats For Grownups: A Town Without Shootings? Long Beach Crime Stats Hide Shooting Numbers And Locations Despite "Recalculation" Of Aggravated Assaults
LBREPORT.com is reader and advertiser supported. Support independent news in LB similar to the way people support NPR and PBS stations. We're not non-profit so it's not tax deductible but $49.95 (less than an annual dollar a week) helps keep us online.
(Jan. 11, 2019, 6:45 a.m.) -- In Los Angeles, LAPD crime stats display numbers of "shots fired" and "shooting victims" for various neighborhoods, See LAPD crime stats showing the number of "shooting victims" and "shots fired" in monthly reports for multiple parts of town at this link.
In contrast, Long Beach's publicly released crime stats don't display shootings anywhere. They don't show how many shootings LBPD has documented, where they occurred, or whether that figure has increased or decreased.
Long Beach fogs its shooting numbers by including them within "aggravated assaults." This complies with minimum federal bureaucratic crime reporting requirements although it's near useless for Long Beach residents in mainly working class neighborhoods who report disproportionate levels of gunfire (an inequity LBREPORT.com has called a "tale of two cities.")
As previously reported by LBREPORT.com, on December 13, 2018, LBPD issued a press release stating it was "recalculating" aggravated assaults, which it said were miscalculated since at least early 2018.
Beginning early in 2018, the Police Department initiated a review of all aggravated assault incidents to identify the cause of a notable increase in the number of aggravated assaults. During this review, the department was unable to immediately determine any unusual contributing factors. After adjustment of review parameters, which included analysis of actual report narratives, it was discovered that a significant number of incidents had been misclassified as aggravated assaults, instead of simple assaults. These misclassifications were a result of data entry coding errors when reports were being electronically filed, and when reviewed for categorization...With this review, we anticipate seeing a decrease in aggravated assaults and an increase in simple assaults in the 2018 year-end crime statistics...
LBREPORT.com presumes that in its "recalculation" process, LBPD would know or should know exactly how many shootings it documented in Long Beach in 2018 (shots fired and persons hit), where they were, and how many there were compared to 2017.
[Scroll down for further.]
LBREPORT.com today (Jan. 11, 2019) asked LBPD to provide us with that information to us for publication.
[LBREPORT.com Jan. 11 email text] On December 13, 2018, LBPD issued a press release stating it was "recalculating" aggravated assaults, which it said were miscalculated since at least early 2018. LBREPORT.com presumes that in its "recalculation" process, LBPD would know or should know exactly how many shootings it documented within the category of aggravated assaults in Long Beach in 2018, where they were, and how many occurred compared to 2017.
Accordingly, LBREPORT.com requests that LBPD provide us for publication with the number of shootings (shots fired and persons hit) in 2018 and compared to 2017. We request these figures by LBPD divisions, similar to aggravated assaults listed by LBPD.
If the shooting numbers aren't available, please provide us with a statement for publication explaining to our readers why these data aren't available, and in particular how it’s possible for LBPD to conduct a methodical "recalculation" of aggravated assaults and not know the number of shootings within the aggravated assaults. LBREPORT.com has reported that LAPD routinely includes this information in its monthly crime stats. Thank you.
LBREPORT.com will report LBPD's response as received.
Sponsor
Sponsor
LBREPORT.com unofficially cumulates shootings (which we confirm daily with LBPD) on maps and, since Aug. 1, 2018, in a chart on our front page by Council districts. LBREPORT.com began the cumulating chart after Mayor Garcia released his recommended FY 19 budget on July 31, 2018, which the City Council approved without dissent in September 2018, that left LB without 186 citywide deployable officers that the City previously had.
As also noted by LBREPORT.com, LBPD crime stats omit "ghost shootings" (which aren't included in any LBPD crime stat category) even when residents find bullet casings in "no-person-or-property hit" shootings, and in one case, an ABC7 camera crew captured the sound of gunfire while video recording a story in a neighborhood just northeast of downtown LB.
Further to follow on LBREPORT.com
Sponsor
(LBREPORT.com is in the process pursuing this aspect of LB's 2018 crime stats separately.)
Sponsor
Sponsor
LB crime statistics don't show crimes by Council districts LBPD used to routinely show crime stats by Council districts but ended the practice entering the 2004 election cycle. Since then, no Council incumbents have sought to change this.
LBPD displays Part 1 crimes by its 5 divisions (North, South, East & West + Port) (see map here). It lists Part 1 crimes "citywide" (combination of all five divisions) and for each of the five LBPD divisions separately at this link.
LB's crime stats don't show shootings. LBPD includes shootings within the general category of "aggravated assaults." This complies with federal bureaucratic crime reporting rules, but makes it useless for Long Beach residents. In contrast, LAPD crime stats have specific line items showing "shooting victims" and "shots fired." LAPD crime stats can be viewed at this link. Long Beach crime stats don't include this information.
Although the City of Long Beach says it practices an "open data" policy and Mayor Garcia says he's "data driven," LBPD provides its crime statistics in a user-unfriendly digital format although we believe they could be made available in a user-friendly spread sheet format (which we presume LBPD uses internally.)
That's our initial review. Further from LBREPORT.com on LB's 2018 crime stats to follow.
Support really independent news in Long Beach. No one in LBREPORT.com's ownership, reporting or editorial decision-making has ties to incumbent Long Beach officials, development interests, advocacy groups or other special interests; or is seeking or receiving benefits of City development-related decisions; or holds a City Hall appointive position; or has contributed sums to political campaigns for Long Beach incumbents or challengers. LBREPORT.com isn't part of an out of town corporate cluster and no one its ownership, editorial or publishing decisionmaking has been part of the governing board of any City government body or other entity on whose policies we report. LBREPORT.com is reader and advertiser supported. You can help keep really independent news in LB similar to the way people support NPR and PBS stations. We're not non-profit so it's not tax deductible but $49.95 (less than an annual dollar a week) helps keep us online.
