BRATTON VOWS TO STOP SURGE IN GANG VIOLENCE CHIEF SAYS LAPD TO WORK WITH FBI, OTHER AGENCIES.

Byline: RICK ORLOV Staff Writer

With Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa set to release his anti-gang plan this week, Police Chief William Bratton vowed Monday to quell a surge in gang violence and reduce overall crime by 5 percent this year.

Speaking to the City Council's Public Safety Committee, Bratton also offered an upbeat assessment of the Los Angeles Police Department and its process to comply with a federal consent decree and to meet hiring goals.

But much of his 90-minute presentation focused on the mayor's highly anticipated plan to deal with the city's 40,000 gang members and on efforts to reverse the recent surge in violence.

``Our goal is to eliminate the increases we have seen and further reduce it,'' said Bratton. The mayor's plan is expected to include many of the initiatives announced in recent weeks, he said.

Partnerships are anticipated among the LAPD and other agencies, including the FBI, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the U.S. Attorney's Office and the Los Angeles County Probation Department.

``What we are looking to do is announce a more coordinated approach to deal with gang-related crime,'' said Bratton, who has estimated that gang crime costs taxpayers $2 billion a year.

The LAPD also is proceeding with counterterrorism efforts and aims soon to implement the second part of Operation Archangel, to improve collaboration on homeland security issues.

The chief also expressed concern about rising gang violence in the San Fernando Valley, where 48 gang-related homicides were reported in 2006 -- a 30 percent jump over the previous year. The LAPD previously reported 460 more robberies in 2006 -- an 18.5 percent jump.

``It's important to attack it now and not let it grow bigger,'' he said.

Citywide, the homicide rate was down 2.4 percent last year, with 478 killings reported, while overall crime fell 7.7 percent from the previous year, Assistant Chief Earl Paysinger said.

``We are at the safest time since the 1950s,'' Paysinger said. ``Those numbers only tell part of the story. What it really means is that last year there were 10,000 fewer victims than the year before. If we reach our goals this year, that will mean 6,000 people were not victims of crime.''

Paysinger noted that the LAPD received nearly 1 million calls last year, which he said indicates increased trust in the department.

``That is a change, and we are getting calls from communities that historically did not call in to the Police Department because they didn't believe they could trust us,'' Paysinger said.

The council also heard from consultant Gerald Chaleff, who is overseeing implementation of the federal consent decree provisions on installation of a computer system to track LAPD activity, including complaints against officers and use-of-force cases.

Officials had hoped to have the troublesome TEAMS II program up and running by Jan. 1, but Chaleff said Monday it will take until April to phase in the system throughout the department.

With TEAMS II the last major hurdle to complying with the dozens of provisions in the decree, the LAPD hopes to ask a federal judge in June to start the two-year clock that would allow the decree to expire.

Bratton also had encouraging news for the council about the department's efforts to increase its ranks, with full classes of 80 cadets now going through the Police Academy.

The department has about 9,400 sworn officers and wants to hire 1,000 more by 2011.

Toward that end, the department has launched aggressive recruiting efforts at local colleges, universities and military bases. Villaraigosa has proposed bonuses of up to $10,000 for successful recruits and payments of $1,000 for city employees who refer recruits.

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SOURCE: Los Angeles Police Dept.