Public Safety + LA2050: Racial diversity is one of LA’s greatest assets

Despite the economic downturn, LA’s crime rate has steadily declined over the past two decades – but crime rates per capita vary widely throughout the region. In Watts there are 310 violent crimes per 10,000 people; In Bel-Air there are two per 10,000 people. But – higher rates of ethnic diversity are associated with increased perceptions of safety in both neighborhoods & schools; & foreign-born residents and recent immigrants are less likely to commit and be victims of crime.