LAPD on Patrol on Venice's Ocean Front Walk | Photo by cliff1066 via Flickr

In a community that cares, people want to know what's happening when someone gets murdered. After Sunday's shooting death in Venice, people started talking. Things said: it was gang related, it was random, it took thirty minutes for ambulances to arrive, Venice is going down hill, etc, etc. And to that end, the LAPD is stepping in.

The business and residential communities of Pacific Area have become aware of two recent homicides that occurred in Pacific Area. The first occurred in Mar Vista Gardens and the second in Venice. Media and internet accounts of the homicides have permeated the community. In some cases, inaccurate or incomplete information has caused speculation with regard to the motives for the violence.

This press conference will provide media outlets and community members with access to first hand information about the investigations. [LAPD E-mail]

It's an excellent idea to give the community first hand information, but why does it take a press conference in the middle of the day to do so? The LAPD has a blog. The LAPD has a large team of public information officers. The LAPD has ePolicing. There are so many tools at hand that are so underused. In any case, anyone can attend the 1:00 p.m. presser at the Pacific Area Station.

Add: The neighborhood blog Yo! Venice! has begun a forum thread on crime in Venice. "We have been getting an increasing number of emails from Venice Residents regarding crime. Police officers have told us that crime is down from a year ago, yet it doesn’t 'feel' like it is."