[dropcap size=big]'C[/dropcap]ritical Incident' is the latest LAPD buzzword to define officer involved shootings or incidents that involve use-of-force and result in a death or serious injury, and law enforcement in L.A. has been responsible for four critical incidents so far this year.
LAPD’s Central Division, the bureau that covers the downtown area, has been responsible for all of the reported critical incidents so far this year. Late last week, the LAPD released video footage of three out of four of the critical incidents that occurred in February 2019 on the department’s YouTube channel.
Central Division was responsible for three critical incidents in just three days between February 12-14, including two unrelated shootings that occurred less than four hours and 1.5 miles apart from one another, on Valentines Day. In addition, another incident occurred on February 26.
This spike for Central Division is significant. It was involved in only one out of 39 total critical incidents in 2018 and two critical incidents out of 42 in 2017, according to the official LAPD website.