Crime continues to decline

Crime in Los Angeles continued to decline through the first half of 2010, despite a poor economy and tightened budgets that reduced the number of officers on the street, officials said Friday.Daily News.

Serious crime citywide dropped 6.6 percent through June 30, compared with the first half of 2009. And while homicides increased from 144 to 150, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck promised an overall reduction for the entire year.

"We have had eight straight years of crime going down and, by the end of this year, it will be nine years," Beck said at a City Hall news conference attended by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and City Council President Eric Garcetti.