Chief Beck’s Reaction to President Trumps Remarks NR18062ti

Los Angeles: While it would be foolish to minimize the lethal brutality of street gangs and in particular MS-13 here in Los Angeles, we have seen a steady decline in gang membership and gang crime in the city. Through a multi-layered strategy of enforcement, relationship building, and law enforcement collaboration we have been able to shrink MS-13’s sphere of influence in Los Angeles. We have made our biggest impact, by arresting and incarcerating individuals who engage in violent crime and not the general deportation of the residents they victimize. The Los Angeles Police Department has studied, refined, and enhanced our approach to gang crime for the better part of a century and our biggest successes have been through our ability to engage the public and earn their trust, so we can reduce the number of victims and quell the fear of crime in our most vulnerable neighborhoods.