LA Public Safety Committee calls for meeting with LAPD after crime spike

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Los Angeles City Councilman Mitch Englander will file a motion Friday morning asking the LAPD to report to the council's Public Safety Committee to discuss the troubling spike in crime across the city.

Crimes in L.A. rose by 12.6 percent from 2014 to 2015, according to the LAPD.

Violent crime rose 20.2 percent, and property crime went up by 10.7 percent. In the violent crime category, the homicide rate went up 8.8 percent.

Aggravated assaults went up 27.8 percent, and reported rapes jumped 9.1 percent.

"There's no excuse. Looking at statistics and numbers is critically important, but let's put a face on it. let's talk about the victims and ways that we can make sure that every community in the corner of the city is safe," Englander said.

Englander says in addition to being under-policed, there are a number of factors that could be contributing to the spike.

"We've decriminalized so many types of crimes and drug offenses. We're letting them out early, we're not incarcerating, there's no help for them, homelessness has gone up. There's a plethora of difficult situations, and things that we've got to now deal with," he said.

During the hearing, police union officials will be "at the table" with police department officials "to share problems, questions and suggestions moving forward to address this crime spike," he said.

Englander will also ask the L.A. Police Protective League to help the city council come up with solutions on how to stop the increase in crime.

He says he wants to get in front of the problem as soon as possible and ease the minds of worried Angelenos.

"It is time to bring the department to the table and say, 'What can we be doing better?'"