Long Beach Experiences Surge in Crime

Unexpectedly!

And it's not just the Ferguson effect. California's on the leading edge of the "de-incarceration" movement, with predicable results.

And remember, Long Beach is home to some of the most notorious gangstas anywhere in the country. Local hoodlums brag about their Long Beach creds. Snoop Dogg came out with "I'm From Long Beach" last year, apparently trying to capitalize on this city's hoodlum image:

After dark, no hooks, no marks, all Gs
Dip through the Funk House and I graduated with all Cs
So dope and I made bread
Never switching that's some real shit
Stayed down from the playground
And I always represent 20 crip...

In any case, at the Long Beach Press-Telegram, "Crime spike in Long Beach continues":

Police Chief Robert Luna said his department has been concerned about the crime rate since it began rebounding from historic lows in recent years.

In 2014, the number of violent crimes committed in the city was the lowest in 42 years, but violent crime jumped up almost 20 percent in 2015. That included 36 murders, the highest number in six years.

‘KEEPING US UP AT NIGHT’

“To see numbers like this, I’ve got to be honest with you, was keeping us up at night trying to figure out what was going on,” Luna said.

As crime has increased, so have the number of calls the police department has to respond to, according to the chief.

“We’re working more overtime right now to keep up with the workload,” Luna said.

Overtime is often assigned to a specific location and at specific times to tamp down areas where police see crime trends, Luna said.

The chief also said recent changes in California law have made it harder for officers to do their jobs. For example, Proposition 36 softened California’s three-strikes law. Proposition 47 reclassified a swath of felonies, including many drug crimes, as misdemeanors. And AB 109, a prison downsizing bill known as realignment, put local law enforcement in charge of supervising lower-level parolees.

Luna said he couldn’t directly tie the rise in crime to those changes, but he said he’s “highly suspicious” that offenses started trending upward after they went into effect...

And don't forget the war on cops.