In 2007, the City of Los Angeles boasted their safest year since 1956, which the city directly attributed to more cops on the street.
The Monrovia Police Officers Association is concerned with the spike in crime from 2007 to 2008. When comparing Part 1 Crime statistics from the same time frame last year we saw an alarming increase. Part 1 Crimes, crimes that include violent felonies and grand thefts, rose 34% from the same time frame the previous year(comparison from January 2007 and January 2008). We know one of the best deterrents in preventing crime is placing more officers on the street."Cops count," said Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton. "It's not demographics. It's not the economy. It's not the weather."
"Cops were up and crime was down," Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said.
Source: The Los Angeles Daily News (December 2007)