What does Crime in Los Angeles City Look Like?
Authors: Aarnav Sarvaiya (Project Lead), Jessup Byun, Junze He, Jocelyn Cheung, Varsha Rayasam
Los Angeles, the second-largest city in the United States, is renowned for its culture, diversity, and entertainment. However, being a major urban center, it also faces significant challenges related to crime. This article aims to provide an analysis of crime trends in LA, utilizing the latest available data to examine patterns between victims and offenders, while identifying key hotspots.
Victim Profile Breakdown
Los Angeles City is home to a plethora of people all hailing from various backgrounds. Analyzing data and the trends within them helps discover who is being affected by crime in LA.
Assessing proportions of sex of victims by crime type
Generally, the distribution of victims is mostly split evenly between men and females, with a small proportion of victims identifying as neither of the above (X). However, when examining the gender of victims for the 20 most prevalent crime types, the distribution is heavily skewed towards one gender in some cases.
As you move down the chart, the gender distribution between male and female victims becomes increasingly skewed. The most uneven gender distributions are seen in crimes involving intimate partner violence, where the victims are women in 78% of the cases. A similar pattern is noted for other crimes such as restraining order violations and lewd letters/phone calls, where the victims are also predominantly female. This demonstrates that victims are more likely to be women with cases regarding sexual harassment and assault. In contrast, crimes like deadly assault, petty shoplifting, and robbery show an overrepresentation of male victims.
Assessing counts of victims by age
The above histogram that displays the distribution of victim ages in LA provides a clear visualization of the age demographics affected by crime. The plot highlights that the majority of crime victims fall within a middle-aged bracket, with a significant frequency around the age of 30 to 50 years. The statistical lines suggest that while crime affects a broad range of ages, there is a concentration in the young to middle-aged adult population, which may reflect broader social and economic factors that influence vulnerability to crime. Given the evolving nature of laws impacting crime severity and occurrence, analyzing crime data through various lenses such as age can provide valuable insights into the dynamics of crime in the LA area. The age distribution plot provides insight on demographic distributions of crime in the Los Angeles area which can help law enforcement better understand the population that is affected by crime.
Crimes and their Offenders
Crime is not one dimensional. It occurs in many forms, and context is needed to understand what victims of crime face.
Crime Type Breakdown
Assessing types of crime committed.
The pie chart displays the most frequent crime cases in Los Angeles (LA), with each section representing a specific crime and its probability of occurrence. The chart uses color coding to differentiate the probabilities: gray sections indicate a probability greater than 1, while natural green sections represent a probability lower than 1. This visual distinction helps to quickly identify which crimes are more likely to occur repeatedly. The size of each section corresponds to the likelihood of that particular crime being committed. Larger sections signify higher probabilities, indicating that these crimes occur more frequently. This visualization allows us to easily discern which crime types are most prevalent in LA. By examining the gray sections of the pie chart, we can identify the most frequent crime in LA: Battery-Simple Assault. This crime involves unlawful and violent physical contact with another person. Although it may not always result in severe harm, it poses a significant risk to individuals’ safety and well-being. Understanding the prevalence of this crime emphasizes the importance of remaining cautious and alert, especially when encountering suspicious behavior on the streets.
Assessing the likelihood a weapon was used in a specific crime
We analyzed the probability of weapons being used in the most frequent crime cases in Los Angeles (LA), as depicted in the “Most Frequent Crime Case” pie chart. The crime cases highlighted in gray represent those with higher probabilities of occurrence. We further divided these crime cases using light gray and natural green colors based on the probability of weapon use. Crime cases colored in natural green have a lower probability of involving weapons. In contrast, those highlighted in light gray have a significantly higher probability of weapon use. This distinction is crucial as it provides insight into the nature and severity of the crimes. It becomes evident why the crime cases with light gray bars have an extremely high probability of weapon use — these crimes often necessitate the use of weapons to achieve the perpetrators’ objectives. For instance, consider a scenario where someone attempts to rob you. If the robber does not have a weapon, the intimidation factor is significantly reduced, making the crime less likely to succeed. Weapons, therefore, play a pivotal role in the execution of these high-probability crimes.
Circumstances of Crime
Crime is not an isolated issue, but rather the symptom of the environment it arises from. It is important to assess where and when crime occurs.
Crime counts by hour of day
The above histogram depicting crime occurrences by hour illustrates the times of day when crimes are most frequently reported. The data shows a pronounced peak during late evening hours, specifically around 12 PM to midnight, with the highest peak just after 12 PM. The pattern indicates a rise in crime incidents starting from early afternoon, peaking in the evening, and then gradually decreasing after midnight. It also displays lower crime rates in the early morning hours from midnight to early morning, suggesting lesser activity and opportunities for crimes to occur during these hours. This time distribution can be particularly useful for law enforcement and public safety planning, indicating the need for increased resources and vigilance during the evening hours when crime rates are highest.
Status of crimes in 2023 by location
The “Status Description Count vs. Area Name” plot illustrates the number of crime cases reported in various areas of Los Angeles (LA). From the plot, it’s evident that 77th Street has the highest number of crime cases among all the areas. This indicates that 77th Street is particularly dangerous, and it’s advisable to avoid that area when possible. Additionally, the plot shows that most cases across each area are still under investigation. This suggests that these cases are either complex and challenging to solve or that the perpetrators have not yet been apprehended. The fact that a significant number of cases remain unresolved in 2023 highlights ongoing issues with crime resolution and law enforcement effectiveness in these areas.
Heatmap of crimes in Los Angeles City
While a majority of the heatmap is covered continuously, there are some dry spots where it seems crime does not occur at all. This is largely due to the zoning of LA City being such an unnatural shape.
This heatmap shows the frequency of crimes occurring in the City of LA. Most crimes tend to cluster around downtown Los Angeles and near West Hollywood. Further analysis shows that the cluster above West Hollywood lies along the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which is notorious for petty theft. Downtown LA is also notorious for crime, with Forbes top three most dangerous neighborhoods in America being situated within the area. The data from the heat map further strengthens Forbes’s rankings.
Conclusion
The data indicates that while crime affects all demographics, certain groups are disproportionately impacted. Women, particularly in cases involving intimate partner violence and sexual harassment, represent a significant portion of the victims. Middle-aged adults, especially those between 30 to 50 years, are more frequently targeted, suggesting the need for tailored prevention.
The prevalence of certain crime types, such as battery-simple assault, highlights the ongoing challenges in maintaining public safety. The high likelihood of weapon use in these crimes underscores the importance of addressing illegal weapon possession.
Geographical analysis shows hotspots, particularly in downtown Los Angeles and near the Hollywood Walk of Fame. These areas may require focused interventions, including community engagement programs, and urban planning measures to enhance safety.
The data-driven insights provided in this report are critical for understanding and addressing the complex dynamics of crime in Los Angeles City. Continuous monitoring and analysis of crime data will be essential in adapting to emerging trends and ensuring the effectiveness of implemented measures.
