High-ranking police officials gathered this morning to answer questions following several violent incidents that have occurred in the past few weeks, including the April 16 shooting at Memorial Hospital and a rash of shootings over the past weekend.
Addressing this past weekend’s violence, Chief of Police Tony Batts acknowledged that gang activity has increased recently in Long Beach, but was adamant that there is no gang war. Rather, he said, housing opportunities have brought new residents to Long Beach from surrounding cities, and new populations and cultures are being thrust into close quarters.
“It goes with housing opportunities sometimes that result in conflicts within communities,” Batts said.
Authorities feel they have been able to thwart many incidents with an increased presence, but say that it is difficult to predict where and when violence may occur. Gang-related violence has increased, but the activity is not exclusive to one group or another. Therefore, each gang tension that could potentially lead to violence is unique in location and situation.
“We’ve seen a huge uptick in homocides and murders,” said Deputy Chief William Blair. “There’s certainly a lot more gang involvement. But the issues on the Northside, Southside, Westside and even the Eastside are not all the same issues.”
“The players are all over the board,” said Commander Laura Farinella. She elaborated that incidents may be caused by conflicts over girlfriends, drugs, turf and other issues.
Police say that they have been able to thwart some incidents by deploying their Impact Motor Squad, a mobile unit that can be sent out quickly to provide an instant police presence in a potentially dangerous area.
“It literally stops everything going on. They’re extremely visible, which we believe has prevented a lot of the crime that has been occurring,” said Deputy Chief Robert Luna. “The only challenge we have is that sometimes, it’ll just pop up somewhere else.”
Authorities also addressed possible budget cuts, and though they would not comment on which (if any) operations would be affected, Chief Batts did deliver a strong message.
“Whatever reserves we get from the Council… we still have a responsibility to get the job done and keep the city safe,” he said.
By Ryan ZumMallen, Managing Editor