LU DONG, SHANNON D. DONOFRY, HELIN HERNANDEZ, JACOBO PEREIRA-PACHECO, NABEEL QURESHI,
CHLOE GOMEZ, MALLIKA BHANDARKAR, DEBORAH KIM, NINA V. OZBARDAKCI, AMY L. SHEARER
Evaluation of
Los Angeles County
Crisis Response Violence
Intervention Program
L
os Angeles (LA) County, characterized by its vast and diverse population, continues to face
significant challenges related to community violence. Violent incidents not only disrupt the
social fabric but also impair the health and well-being of residents. Recognizing the detri-
mental impact of violence, the LA County Board of Supervisors established the Office of
Violence Prevention (OVP) within the Department of Public Health in 2019. OVP’s mission is com-
prehensive, aiming not only to prevent violence through proactive, community-based programs but
also to facilitate healing in the aftermath of violent incidents.
OVP fulfills its mission through a collaborative approach, coordinating activities among county
departments, community-based organizations, private businesses, and residents to streamline
efforts, share resources, and reduce duplicative or conflicting interventions. Central to this work
is OVP’s commitment to data-driven decisionmaking. Through rigorous collection and analysis of
both primary and secondary data, OVP tracks patterns of violence, allocates resources effectively,
responds to emerging needs, and evaluates program outcomes to ensure responsiveness and impact.
Community violence in LA County takes various forms, including gang-related activity,
domestic violence, and random street violence. These incidents are especially prevalent in such
neighborhoods as Westmont West Athens, Willowbrook, unincorporated Compton, and Florence-
Firestone. Identified under the Trauma Prevention Initiative (TPI), these communities report some
of the county’s highest rates of violent crime (County of Los Angeles Public Health, undated-a). For
context, the average violent crime rate in LA County in 2021 was approximately 41.2 per 100,000
residents (County of Los Angeles Public Health, undated-d). By contrast, Willowbrook reported a
violent crime rate of 245.9 per 100,000 residents in 2021—more than five times the county average
(County of Los Angeles Public Health, undated-d). Westmont West Athens reported a rate of 82.7
per 100,000 residents, and Florence-Firestone recorded 304 aggravated assaults, 188 robberies,
and 23 homicides in the same year (County of Los Angeles Public Health, undated-c; County of
Research Report
