L.A. at a crossroads

If anyone needs a reminder of the fragile state of public safety in Los Angeles, they need only read Scott Gold’s excellent piece in today’s Los Angeles Times. Two gangs that call South L.A. home have interrupted a truce with deadly consequences. What seemed like a trivial incident one night in August rapidly escalated into renewed violence that has resulted in six shootings and three homicides. One of the victims was a seventh-grader.

“No one is sure how it’s going to end, and the dispute threatens to undermine the marked progress that has been made here,” writes Gold. “Many residents, civic leaders and city officials believe South L.A. is at a crossroads in part because violent crime has fallen so sharply.”

The increase in police presence and expertise in the two LAPD divisions that cover South L.A. have made all the difference. That is why it is crucial that the experienced officers of the Southeast and 77th divisions continue their excellent work on the front lines. In other words, this is precisely the wrong time for city leaders to risk returning L.A. to the days when the national media portrayed our city as one of the murder capitals of America. That’s precisely what could be the consequences of the police officer furloughs being talked about a City Hall these days.

Thanks, Scott Gold, for the wake-up call for city leaders and anyone else who thinks it’s okay to downsize the LAPD through forced furloughs. It’s not okay. It will put L.A.’s residents and property in harm’s way and put off indefinitely the day when L.A. will be a vibrant economy again.