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Uptick in Homicide Rate Prompts LAPD Redeployment
Plagued city budget woes, the LAPD has been refocusing officers assigned to specialized units to the streets. In the past 11 days, 19 people have been killed--mostly cited as gang-related crimes in the Northeast Valley and Eastside--increasing the homicide rate just short of last year's, the LA Times is reporting. Chief Charlie Beck, however, told the L.A. Police Commission today that “the nature of homicide in Los Angeles" is upticks in crime and calm. Still, he'll redeploy units from more peaceful areas to violent ones. The last published crime update was for the 20th, when there were 47 homicides compared to 66, a 28.8% difference to 2009. Overall, all crime is down.