Mayor: violent crime down countywide but burglaries and fraud rising; city adds public-safety liaisons

Mayor Paul Seo told listeners on RPV City Talk that the city's public-safety partners report a drop in violent crime but a rise in residential and vehicle burglaries and fraud targeting older residents.

"Effectively violent crime is down and it's down countywide," Seo said. He added that the city is concerned about elder abuse, tax fraud and wire fraud, and described specific theft methods such as checks being taken or compromised at postal facilities; Seo said the city will seek postal inspector involvement and coordinate investigations with the sheriff's department.

Seo said the city has established four public-safety liaisons to augment the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department by responding to calls, acting as eyes and ears in neighborhoods, and supporting investigations. The mayor emphasized community reporting and neighborhood-watch participation: "When you see something, say something," he said.

On regional hazard preparedness, Seo said the four peninsula cities secured grant funding for a multi-jurisdictional hazard mitigation plan produced by consultants and that a draft will return to the council for review. He also highlighted the city's panel-style AI cameras for early fire detection, noting staff recorded that the system identified the Palisades fire on Jan. 7 and alerted first responders.

The mayor's remarks described operational steps and partnerships but did not include detailed timelines or budgets for the public-safety liaison program or the hazard plan implementation.