Crime rates down significantly across Los Angeles County in 2017

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Crime rates dropped significantly across Los Angeles County in the U.S. state of California in the past year, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department on Thursday.

The greatest reduction has been in homicides, down from 210 cases in 2016 to 167 cases as of Dec. 26, said Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell at a news conference.

The accomplishment was fueled, in part, by a collective 46 percent murder reduction in Compton, Century, and East Los Angeles Stations, said McDonnell.

The county saw nearly 3,600 fewer violent and property crimes committed this year, down 4.6 percent from the previous year, McDonnell said.

"Our narcotics-related arrests have increased significantly this year. We made 1,028 narcotics-related arrests, as compared to 719 in 2016. We seized over 110 kilos of fentanyl, an extremely deadly drug," he said.

The department also reported a 4.5 percent drop in rapes, a 2.3 percent drop in robberies and a 12 percent drop in arson, but predicted an increase in cyber crimes in the coming years.

Los Angeles County is among the most populous counties in the United States, and is home to over one quarter of residents in the western state of California. Its county seat, the city of Los Angeles, is also among the most populous cities in the United States.

Crime rates in Los Angeles County rose 5 percent between 2010 and 2016, according to a recent study released earlier this month by the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, a San Francisco-based non-profit organization. Enditem