Good News in Gangland: Crime is Down This Year

The Los Angeles Police Department's Chief Bill Bratton has announced that crime is down compared to this time last year. According to abc7.com, "The most dramatic drop was seen in murders involving gang members. Bratton said those homicides have dropped 26.6 percent. Overall, homicide is down 8.7 percent. The number of rapes committed saw a 14 percent drop, and overall violent crime is down nearly 5 percent." Just last week a record number of Compton residents opted to trade in their guns for gift cards, signaling perhaps less of a trend in holiday conviviality and more that the economy is in the toilet; most of the almost 1,000 $100 gift cards selected were for Ralphs supermarket.