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Crime and gun violence on the rise in Long Beach PUBLISHED 2:30 PM PT Jul. 09, 2021 PUBLISHED 2:30 PM PDT Jul. 09, 2021
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LONG BEACH, Calif. Alberto Loya, a cook at Hooters in Long Beach, was working on June 27 when a drive-by shooting nearby left three people wounded and diners frightened.
What You Need To Know
Crime and gun violence has increased across the nation, including the city of Long Beach
One drive-by shooting witness in Long Beach said that although he was shocked at the moment, he does not feel any less safe in the city and believes it was random
Long Beach Police Chief Robert Luna said the pandemic s complexities, including the release of prisoners, is a factor in the increase in violence
Long Beach has been fighting a spike in gun violence since late last year, with police pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars into increased patrols and operations to take illegal weapons off the streets, but the issue got a renewed focus Saturday night when gunfire rang out at The Pike, wounding three people at the popular shopping center where crowds were packed into stores and restaurants.
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“It’s scary, just to be blunt with you,” Police Chief Robert Luna told camera crews at the scene before pointing out Long Beach is not alone in having gun violence suddenly thrust into the fore.
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Officially called the Police and Fire Memorial, the structure is made up of small triangles meant to look like folded flags engraved with the names of 14 fire and 29 police service members that have died in the line of duty since each department’s inception in Long Beach.
Flags, folded 13 times over in the form of a triangle, are traditionally given to families of those who died. Some of the memorial’s bronze flags remain blank.
A color guard member walks behind the new memorial at the Long Beach Civic Center. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.
“To every family, friend and colleague, this memorial is something to be proud of,” said Mayor Robert Garcia, adding that the hope is no new names will ever need to be added.
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At that point in 2016, the Downtown lockup was in “shambles,” according to one department official’s assessment, with violations of state standards that included deficient mental health services, substandard training, lax record-keeping and even inadequate jailhouse bedding.
With no oversight from prior managers, staffers had gone “rogue” and were abusing overtime, the official said in internal police documents.
And it was the freshly hired Tom Behrens’ job to reform the troubled operation. But the assignment wouldn’t last long.
Then-LBPD Jail Administrator Tom Behrens, third from left, at a promotions ceremony with several high-ranking Long Beach police employees in 2016. Photo courtesy the Long Beach Police Department.