Valley gang crime drops

Gang crime fell sharply in the first half of the year in the San Fernando Valley, especially in North Hollywood, but homicides ticked up slightly, according to LAPD figures released Wednesday.Rachel Uranga in the Daily News.

While the dip in gang crime follows a six-year trend, the increase in homicides citywide was blamed on a spate of multiple killings early in the year.

LAPD Chief William Bratton vowed to turn the homicide numbers around by the end of the year.

"We fully project that they will be down significantly by the end of the year again," he said at a news conference.