Is MacArthur Park safer? A look at the Westlake District park following targeted police enforcement

On the north side of MacArthur Park, families can be seen picnicking with children after school. On the other side of the park, the Los Angeles Police Department says more work still needs to be done.

Since May, a series of law enforcement operations have taken place at the park, beginning with federal and LAPD officers arresting fentanyl and methamphetamine street dealers around the perimeter of the park.

LAPD Captain Ben Fernandes said from May until now, it's like night and day as ongoing law enforcement efforts have decreased drug use and gang activity around the park.

According to LAPD data so far this year at and around the park, no one has been hit by gunfire, calls for service decreased by nearly 4%, and arrests have gone down by 11%.

"We attribute that to removal of bad actors, and less people being around that are involved in criminal activity," Fernandes said.

The office of Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, who represents the area, says MacArthur Park is cleaner and safer thanks to peace ambassadors, street medicine teams, and mobile overdose units. "Enforcement operations should neither be credited for progress this community has spent years building nor mistaken for a strategy capable of addressing the underlying conditions."

Jon Alle owns the building that houses the neighboring Langer's Deli and several other properties in the area. He says harm reduction programs, like needle distribution, at the park have eroded the efforts of the police.

"It's not helping because the minute they leave, the activity continues," Alle said.

Fernandes says the north side of the park is much better than the south side because his team is working section by section to bring change, noting that a safe park is critical to the well-being of the people who live in the area.

The owner of Langer's Deli says he's seen an uptick in business since the enforcement operations.

"The alleyway used to smell like a bathroom, and at least today it smells pretty good," long-time Langer's customer Don Kitabayashi said.

Fernandes says teaming up with federal prosecutors to bring harsher federal drug charges has helped bring down the number of drug dealers in the park.