LA city leaders say crime fighting efforts in MacArthur Park are paying off

Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell said overall crime in the MacArthur Park area has reduced by 42% over the last few months, as the department has increased enforcement efforts and expanded outreach initiatives.

"While our work is not done, clearly, a lot has been accomplished in a relatively short period of time," he said.

McDonnell also noted that on March 6, the department busted a hub for stolen goods, a store receiving and selling stolen merchandise, which was tied to organized retail theft.

After serving a search warrant at 2065 W. 6th Street, "officers recovered a U-Haul truck full of stolen goods including makeup, toiletries and other retail merchandise," McDonnell said. He said $367,000 worth of merchandise was linked to Target, T.J. Maxx and Marshalls. The store owner was arrested for receiving stolen property.

These efforts are part of a larger crackdown on stolen goods being funneled through MacArthur Park and along the Alvarado corridor, involving a criminal network that has been the primary driver of violent crime in the park and surrounding areas, he said.

Mayor Karen Bass said newly installed fencing along the east side, at Alvarado Street, has disrupted illicit activity in the area. 

"Many of those vending stands provided an open-air market for illegal activity," she said. She ordered the fencing to be installed after a Westlake District shooting, near the park, where six people were injured in January.

Residents weren't so quick to join the celebration, bluntly stating that any changes are hard to notice. 

"Yeah, that's kinda laughable," said Jonathan Rivas, who lives and works in the area. "It's pretty much the same."

He said that on top of the rampant drug use and homelessness at the park, it's also far from clean. 

"The water is dirty, there's litter everywhere," he said.