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Violent gang-related crimes in the west San Fernando Valley increased 63 percent from 2014 to 2015 but held steady last year, according to a new analysis by the Los Angeles Police Department.
Gang-related homicides in the West Valley, which includes the LAPD's Devonshire, Topanga and West Valley divisions, more than doubled from three in 2014 to eight in 2016, according to the report. The Topanga Division saw the sharpest increase, with five gang-related homicides in 2016, up from zero in 2014.
There was also a total of 848 gang-related crimes reported in the west San Fernando Valley in 2016, up 33 percent from 2014.
"It's validating and providing evidence on what we suspected. We have some serious gang activity in the West Valley," Los Angeles City Councilman Bob Blumenfield, who represents the area and requested the written report, said Tuesday. "It's important to document it, so we can get appropriate resources in terms of (crime) suppression and intervention."
Part of the spike could be attributed to the San Fernando Valley experiencing one of its lowest periods in violent crime from about 2012 to 2014, following years of...