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Crime went down last year and so far this year, it's continuing to go down. By February 27th, there were 33 homicides in Los Angles, compared to 55 during the same time period last year. That's a 34% difference. Yesterday, New York Times columnist Tim Egan, who left L.A. during the riots, highlighted the city as centerpiece for successful policing and grabbed LAPD Chief Charlie Beck for some inspiration. “Absent some huge social disorder, this will be a golden age of policing,” he predicted. “I have been to every neighborhood of this city and the most popular piece of government now, by far, is the police officer.” One of Beck's biggest challenges right now is the dwindling budget, which could mean fewer officers on the street.