Dozens of downtown Los Angeles residents on Thursday demanded lawmakers increase the police presence in the area in response to assaults, drug sales and harassment in the area. The DTLA Strong neighborhood group submitted a petition with more than 1,700 signatures to the City Council’s Budget and Finance Committee requesting additional Los Angeles Police Department foot patrols on major streets and an analysis of crime downtown, the Los Angeles Times reported. Los Angeles Police Chief Michael Moore said the division that covers downtown has 414 sworn officers, up from 404 in 2016. “I don’t think downtown Los Angeles is getting less safe,” he told the Times. “I think that downtown Los Angeles, like much of the rest of the city, is in one of the safest times in its existence.

Source: Fox News May 03, 2019 06:15 UTC