Here we were preparing this week’s special report on the city’s steadily declining crime rate when police helicopters woke me up in the middle of the night, their powerful lights beaming down into my neighborhood. It was enough to make me wonder: Are we safe yet? Will we ever be safe?

These are not idle questions for the business community. The relative comfort level of Angelenos plays a critical role in all sectors of the economy, whether it’s the shopkeeper who can’t stay open at night because his neighborhood is unsafe or the factory owner who chooses not to expand in the inner city because of fears among his workers. That, in turn, raises quality-of-life issues that help determine whether or not the area is considered business-friendly.

L.A., of course, has come a long way in the past few years. The crime statistics are a big part of the story, but so too are people’s attitudes. L.A. will always be a big, tough town where bad stuff happens, but as our package indicates, it’s also a lot safer.

Mark Lacter

Editor