Homicides in Los Angeles County were down 15% during the first two months of 2009 compared to 2008, Los Angeles County law enforcement officials reported. The L.A. County coroner's office reported 122 homicides in January and February of this year, compared to 144 in the first two months of 2008. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department reported a 12.2% decrease in homicide investigations in the first two months of the year, 36 compared to 41 in January and February of 2008. Law enforcement officials contributed the decrease in the number of homicides to L.A. County's aggressive pursuit of gang crimes.
"We feel the reason that they're [homicides] down a little bit is because of the aggressive stance we've taken against gangs in the past year and a half," Lt. Duane Harris of the Sheriff's Homicide Bureau told reporter Brian Day of the Whittier Daily News in Whittier, California.
Combined efforts by multiple L.A. County departments and heavy government support were cited by the L.A. County Sheriff's Department spokesman as the primary reasons for the homicide reduction. "Crime is down because of additional resources," Sheriff's Department spokesman Steve Whitmore told Day. Whitmore noted that targeting high gang crime areas in the San Gabriel Valley, Whittier and Compton paid off.
Los Angeles County and surrounding areas have found that heavily targeted enforcement efforts bring results. Pasadena recently collaborated with police in Philadelphia to shut down a gang gun running operation. Targeted enforcement blankets high crime areas with law enforcement resources to close down high crime activities, particularly drugs and guns that spur other felonious activities.
California is notoriously tough and aggressive on crime. "In 2003, 68% of adult California felony arrests resulted in conviction," said expert Los Angeles felony attorney Stephen Rodriguez. If you're caught in a law enforcement crime net, obtaining the services of an experienced criminal defense attorney is critical. Most felonies in California are punishable under the state's Determinate Sentencing laws. "This means that when someone is convicted of a felony offense and sentenced to prison, the judge may impose one of three person terms -- low, middle or high term," explained Los Angeles attorney Rodriguez. Many factors can affect the judge's sentencing decision; but without expert criminal defense, judges often choose the middle sentence, Rodriguez noted. Repeat offenders who run afoul of California's Three Strikes Law face incredibly harsh punishments that strip away rights and enforce severe mandatory sentences.
To find out more about California sentencing laws and the rights of criminal defendants, visit the website of Los Angeles criminal defense lawyers Rodriguez, Lewis & Kahn.
