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Hermosa Beach police report DUI task force arrests and say overall crime fell in 2024
Summary
Police Chief Paul LeBaron told the council the department's targeted deployments and a recent DUI task force led to multiple arrests; the department reported an 8.4% drop in overall crime for 2024 versus 2023.
Police Chief Paul LeBaron told the Hermosa Beach City Council on Jan. 28 that deliberate, data-driven deployments produced several enforcement results over the weekend and that the department's year-end totals show an overall decline in crime.
LeBaron said the department led a DUI task force last Friday, supported by neighboring South Bay agencies, and arrested three people for driving under the influence between midnight and 3:30 a.m. He said such arrests are concentrated in known high-risk hours and locations. "Since Dec. 1, we have arrested 26 people for DUI in our city," LeBaron said.
He described a string of weekend incidents where officers interrupted an active large party attended by juveniles with access to alcohol, issued administrative citations under the city's social-host ordinance and handled multiple DUI and reckless-driving arrests. LeBaron described one stop that uncovered a loaded handgun and cocaine hidden in a diaper bag; the adult occupants were arrested and the child placed in protective custody.
LeBaron also presented 2024 crime statistics compared with 2023. He said the overall crime rate for 2024 was 8.4% lower than 2023 and described the decrease as "the second year in a row that crime is down in our city from 1 year to the next." He told council members the department planned more targeted deployments during known high-risk periods and credited cross-department collaboration and grant funding (Office of Traffic Safety) for enabling additional enforcement.
Council members asked about the role of the task force and whether the uptick in DUI arrests reflected more enforcement rather than more offenders; LeBaron confirmed state grant funding supported expanded operations and that focused enforcement finds more violations during high-risk windows.
