Audit Finds LAPD Under Reported 2014 Aggravated Assaults by More Than 20%

The Los Angeles Police Department continued to struggle in accurately classifying serious assaults last year, according to an audit released Tuesday.

The audit comes after a Los Angeles Times investigation last year revealed the department had routinely misclassified serious assaults as minor offenses that weren’t counted in the city’s crime rate.

The new review examined one crime category: aggravated assault. Based on sampling done by auditors, officials estimate that there were actually 23% more aggravated assaults in 2014 than the LAPD originally reported.

The LAPD’s original crime statistics showed serious assaults jumped 28% last year. But the audit suggests that the increase was even higher, the Los Angeles Times reports.