Halloween safety: LAPD on patrol to watch for violence on holiday

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Los Angeles police are out in full force this Halloween weekend, with many people celebrating the holiday for the first time since the pandemic began.

The goal is to prevent real-life nightmares during a holiday meant to scare people with harmless fun.

"It's one of those things - especially on Halloween, 23 years on the job - you experience. People who mask up and are in costumes sometimes seem to have less responsibility for their actions," said LAPD Capt. Adrian Gonzalez. "So we'll be out there."

Preventative efforts are particularly focused on South Los Angeles, which is seeing a disproportionate number of homicides this year. Of the city's 326 homicides this year, about a third happened in South Los Angeles. About 30% of those were linked to gangs.

To learn more about the city's efforts to reduce violence, please watch the video above.