ITDC member Marcos Maldonado and others help Brentwood violent crime fall by a third
Violent crime has been cut by more than a third in Brentwood in the past three years because of increased police patrols, community renewal efforts, and an expansion of neighborhood watch groups.
Violent crime such as murder, rape and robbery has dropped from 223 occurrences in 2009 to 95 as of Aug. 31, the most recent date for which statistics are available. That's on pace for a reduction of about 36 percent.
Three years ago, the shootings of two young teens, one fatal, within five months galvanized efforts to stop the gang violence that had plagued Brentwood for years.
Police officials assigned Third Precinct Officer Charles Ross to create neighborhood watch groups in 2009. Watches in Brentwood have increased...| read more ››