Los Angeles Police Department crime statistics for 2014 showed a citywide spike in violent crimes after 12 years of dropping city crime rates.
At a news conference in December, officers said robberies, homicides, rapes and other violent offenses in Los Angeles had increased by more than 12 percent in the past two years.
The statistics reflect crimes reported by LAPD and not by university police, who patrol much of UCLA and Westwood Village. UCPD typically reports violent crimes twice a year, once in an annual report and once in the Annual Security Report under the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act.
LAPD Chief of Police Charlie Beck said he thinks it is important that the department looks at larger crime trends in addition to individual cases moving forward, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Beck said that when officers become more focused on their work against crime from day to day or year to year, it can be difficult to get a clear overall picture of the trends in city crime, according to the Los Angeles Times.
UCLA students expressed mixed reactions to the reported crime statistics.
First-year neuroscience student Itzel Romero said she feels safe overall at UCLA because she sees many security and police officers on campus.
“I’ve seen and lived in communities with high crime rates as well, so I believe personal safety in a city mostly orients around where you put yourself,” she said.
Cynthia Matsumura, a first-year psychobiology student, said she thinks because UCLA is a big campus, it is comforting that there are normally people around.
“Of course I’m concerned about such an increase in L.A.’s crime rate, but since UCLA is campus-oriented, I don’t think this increase in violent crime rate should influence the well-being of UCLA students and faculty,” she said.
Fourth-year biology student Ayman Ullah said he worries more for his safety at night and is usually more comfortable on campus during the day. He said he was startled by the increase and is concerned for himself and other students.