Los Angeles sees considerable drop in gang crimes

15:20, October 13, 2010      
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Average gang-related crimes dropped by 40 percent in Los Angeles thanks to an anti-gang program, authorities announced Tuesday.
Gang-related crimes dropped by more than 80 percent in some areas -- around parks and recreation centers -- since the city launched the Summer Night Lights program earlier this year, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said.
The program lasted nine weeks, during which gang-related crimes fell 40 percent in the surrounding communities compared to the same period a year before, according to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD).
The department reported that gang-related homicides dropped 57 percent; aggravated assaults, 48 percent; and shots-fired calls, 55 percent. Meanwhile, the number of shooting victims fell 45 percent.
Neighborhoods around six parks registered drops of at least 80 percent in gang-related crimes, according to the LAPD.
"This year, we took 24 of the worst gang-plagued communities in the city and transformed them back into community centers for hundreds of thousands of families and children to enjoy without the fear of violence," said Villaraigosa, whose Office of Gang Reduction and Youth Development runs the program.
From Independence Day to Labor Day, Summer Night Lights kept two dozen parks open until midnight, providing the community with family programs, after-school activities, arts initiatives and athletic leagues.
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