Greetings from the men and women of the Los Angeles Police Department. The following is the monthly update for May 2005. We hope you find the information useful. You are encouraged to continue to visit our website at www.lapdonline.org as it has recently been redesigned and updated. CHIEF’S MESSAGE - POLICE MEMORIAL MONTH As the Los Angeles Police Department observes Police Memorial Month, it is appropriate that we remember and honor those who have sacrificed their lives in the line of duty while serving the people of this great city, state, and nation. We pay tribute to our fallen comrades by keeping their spirits alive in our memories and keeping these memories close to our hearts. Several Department events have been scheduled to commemorate National Police Week including the traditional Memorial Ceremony that takes place in front of Parker Center on Thursday, May 19, at 10:00 a.m. Also, for the first time, a candlelight vigil honoring fallen officers will be held this year at the Ahmanson Recruit Training Center on Wednesday, May 18, at 7:30 p.m. The public is invited to attend both of these ceremonies, as the men and women of this Department honor those who have gone before us and show support for their loved ones and friends. Another Department event, the Los Angeles Police-Celebrity Golf Tournament, will take place on Saturday, May 21, beginning at 10:00 a.m. This outstanding event serves as an LAPD Open House, with Department displays and activities for adults and children. It is also the only fundraising event for the Los Angeles Police Memorial Foundation. The foundation provides close to half a million dollars annually to Department employees and their families experiencing catastrophic circumstances resulting from death, illness, or injury. This includes covering the expenses associated with the on-duty death of a Los Angeles police officer. Again, the public is invited to attend. Tickets are $5 each and are available at all Los Angeles Community Police Stations and at the gates at the day of the event. On the state and national level, I will be attending the law enforcement memorial ceremonies in Sacramento on Friday, May 6, and in Washington, D.C. on Sunday, May 15. This will be the first time that I will represent the men and women of the Los Angeles Police Department, at these events. At both events, Officer Ricardo Lizarraga, the last LAPD officer killed in the line of duty, whose name has been engraved on each memorial, will be honored. Although we all hope we never have to add another officer’s name to the long list of those who have died in the performance of their duties, we know that policing is a dangerous profession. According to figures provided by the National Law Enforcement Officers’ Memorial Fund, on average, one law enforcement officer is killed somewhere in America every 53 hours. The first known in the line of duty death occurred in 1792, when a New York Deputy Sheriff named Isaac Smith was shot and killed. Since then, more than 16,500 officers have died while performing law enforcement duties. New York City has lost more officers than any other department, with more than 575 deaths. The state of California has the highest number of police deaths at more than 1,350. As you would probably guess, September 11, 2001, was the deadliest day for law enforcement with 72 officers losing their lives during the terrorist attacks. In our Department’s history we have lost 197 officers, including our most recent losses of Detective Abe Barron on June 25, 2003, and Officer Ricardo Lizarraga on February 20, 2004. Fortunately, since our last observance of National Police Week, the LAPD has not lost a single officer in the line of duty. However, assaults on police officers in this Department perpetuate the reality of the dangers associated with policing in Los Angeles. In 2004 there were 329 Assaults with a Deadly Weapon on a Police Officer, 23 of them involved officers being shot at. So far this year, as of the middle of March, there have been 55 similar assaults, four of them involving shots fired. It is this Department’s outstanding emphasis on officer safety that has limited the number of injures these assaults have caused and has undoubtedly spared the lives of many. In commemorating National Police Week, I am reminded of a quote by President John F. Kennedy, that I have updated to include both men and women. “A nation reveals itself by the men and women it produces, but also by the men and women it honors, the men and women it remembers.” CRIME STATISTICS - CITY-WIDE Year to Date as of April 26, 2005 Homicide Down -4.6% Rape Down -32.4% Robbery Down -9.4% Aggravated Assault Down -37.6% --------------------------------------------------------------- TOTAL VIOLENT CRIMES Down -27.3% Burglary Down -8.4% Burglary/Theft from Vehicle Down -19.5% Personal/Other Theft Down -14.2% Auto Theft Down -11.1% --------------------------------------------------------------- TOTAL PROPERTY CRIMES Down -14.2% TOTAL PART 1 CRIMES Down -17.4% WILLIAM J. BRATTON Chief of Police To unsubscribe from this newsletter please click on this link http://listserv.lacity.org/cgi-bin/wa.exe?SUBED1=lapd_monthly&A=1