Twenty-two killings in just 13 days have put the LAPD on alert and brought a surprising end to the low crime trend of recent years, reports La Opinión. The unusual surge in homicides, which has been a lingering fear for several months as a result of the early release of prisoners and the budget cuts to law enforcement agencies, coincides with an AP report this week that found the early release included a percentage of violent offenders. Until two weeks ago, the police had recorded a double digit drop in the homicide rate, which has been consistently declining in the last few years. However, as of March 31, there had been 73 killings in the city Los Angeles, compared with 74 in the same period of 2009.

An even steeper increase in violent crime has taken place in New York, where crime is up 20 percent. There have been at least 103 murders in New York as of Monday, compared with 86 killings at this time in 2009.