You won’t find Michael Downing’s name in cement out front of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. But Hollywood’s top cop has left deep footprints along the Walk of Fame with his inclusive brand of community policing.
Since taking over as captain of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Hollywood division in 1999, Downing has overseen security for the Academy Awards, policed protest marches after the invasion of Iraq and employed high-tech cameras to prevent crime.
He even helped push through a ban on silly string for Halloween night (the neon goop is no laughing matter to local merchants). Hollywood Boulevard actually had been closed on Halloween night since 1992, and the ban allowed it to reopen, a boon to local businesses.
“Initiatives like the anti-graffiti campaign, anti-gang injunctions and vehicle seizure program to reduce vice, for example, have inspired confidence in local merchants, residents and tourists alike,” Downing said. “We’ve focused in on the numbers: 10 percent of the suspects are responsible for 50 percent of crime, 10 percent of the city’s locations are responsible for 60 percent of the crime, and 10 percent of the victims are victimized 40 percent of the time.”
To crack down on what he called the “criminally homeless, Downing took a more aggressive approach. “We used the street patrols we have to engage the problem and not let it fester, whether that means referrals to social service agencies, drop-offs at shelters or anything else we can provide in the way of police services to those who are destitute,” he said.
Downing saw an opportunity two years ago when the FBI used wireless digital technology to monitor potential terrorism at the Academy Awards.
“He took the BID board members on a field trip to MacArthur Park to see a pilot program,” recalled Kerry Morrison, executive director of the Hollywood Entertainment District. “We ended up spending $103,000 to wire up five different Hollywood intersections. He’s created a 24-hour, 7-day LAPD presence without the manpower or city funds.”
Downing said the cameras “are not meant to destroy the criminal so much as to prevent the crime. By putting signs up, in conjunction with the cameras, we are letting people know that LAPD is actively monitoring public spaces.”
Year-over-year crime rates were down in Hollywood in 2004, with gang-related crimes dropping by 60.3 percent. Violent crime was down 14.6 percent and property crime fell by 6.8 percent.
Downing earned an undergraduate business degree from USC before joining the LAPD in 1982. He made sergeant in 1987, lieutenant in 1991 and captain five years later.
The Police Activities League honored Downing last September, calling his Community Police Advisory Board one of the strongest in L.A.
Downing has said his Hollywood beat covers “a tapestry of values, cultures and people.” The numbers tell the story: About 10 million tourists flow into Hollywood each year. More than 300,000 residents are packed into 17.2 square miles. Enormous crowds are drawn to high-profile events such as the Holiday Parade or the Academy Awards. As such, Downing’s purview is LAPD’s most culturally diverse region.
