(Editor’s Note: West Los Angeles Captain Jonathon Tom sent the following January 8 letter to the community.)
Captain Jonathan Tom is in charge of the West L.A. LAPD Division.
As the Captain and Commanding Officer of West Los Angeles Area (WLA), I have been fortunate to work with and develop relationships with many of our community partners. West Los Angeles is a unique command in that we serve everyone from persons experiencing homelessness to billionaires and everyone in between. West Los Angeles Area is the largest geographic command in the City and at approximately 65 square miles it is larger than the City of Long Beach.
Looking back at 2021, it was apparent that the Westside community saw a large increase in the number of persons living on the streets. While this has impacted the quality of life for many of you, it is evident that this trend is part of a larger societal issue that must be addressed in a thoughtful way.
The police cannot provide the solution to homelessness and yet we know that as the most visible component of City government, we are often the ones that you turn to for hope. Your police are but one part of the solution and we are committed to doing what we can.
We will continue to address violations of the law based on the priority of the crimes and concerns and deployment considerations. For 2022, one of our goals is to provide further education to the community regarding other City and County resources that are available regarding homeless outreach and clean up, and to double down on our commitment to working collaboratively with you, with City and County resources and with homeless service providers.
We continued to struggle with deployment due to staffing shortages across the Department and West Los Angeles Area. The officers assigned to your West Los Angeles Community Police Station did incredibly well in relation to our counterparts across Operations-West Bureau and the Department as a whole (see below).
Part I crime includes homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assaults, burglary, motor vehicle theft, burglary theft from vehicle and theft. Here is the comparison between West Los Angeles, Operations-West Bureau and LAPD.
OVERALL:
WLA had an 0.3% increase, West Bureau had a 10.2 % increase and the Department had a 4.6% increase [in Part 1 crimes].
HOMICIDES:
WLA had a 100% reduction (no homicides), West Bureau had a 7.3% increase and Department had a 11.8% increase.
ARRESTS:
WLA had a 20.3% increase, West Bureau a 7.9% increase and the Department had a .7% reduction.
PRODUCTIVITY (TRAFFIC CITES/WARNINGS AND RELEASE FROM CUSTODY CITES):
WLA had an 11% increase, West Bureau a 15.3% reduction and the Department had a 25.6% reduction.
SICK/INJURED ON DUTY:
WLA had a 3.4% decrease in sick/IOD hours, West Bureau an 14.3% increase and the Department had a 10.8% increase.
TO DECREASE CHANCES OF BEING A CRIME VICTIM:
- Continue to be personally vigilant. Situational awareness is something that we all can do a better job with. A. Put your cell phones away when you are walking to and from your vehicles or just around the neighborhood. B. Pay attention to your surroundings and to who is paying attention to you. Criminals look for easy targets. C. Make a mental note or take photos when things seem out of place.
- Lock it, Hide it, Keep it! Is an old refrain, but it is every bit as valid as it was when the phrase was coined by the LAPD in 2010. Note: LAPD continues to see vehicles that are stolen with the keys inside of them and homes that are burglarized with unlocked doors and windows.
- Although we had 10.4% less burglaries from 2020 to 2021, we have noticed a recent increase where the suspects smashed a rear glass door or window to gain entry to the residence.
Note: In general, it would appear that the suspects are generally selecting higher-end properties that they believe to be unoccupied; do not have cameras; and are out of view of neighbors. Therefore, it would benefit you to consider installing cameras, lighting and alarms.
An important part of making your house unappealing to burglars is to always make your house appear to be occupied. Install motion lights and working cameras, put lights on timers; leave cars in the driveway; put your mail on hold if you are going out of town.
Despite the negativity that sometimes pervades our lives, it is my fervent hope that you know that I remain as committed as ever to making West Los Angeles as safe as possible. We cannot succeed without each other, so I am hopeful that in 2022 you take personal responsibility for making yourself as hard a target as possible.
Please feel free to reach out to the officers patrolling your neighborhoods, your Senior Lead Officers and myself to ensure that the lines of communication stay open.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Tom