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Where can I see crime statistics for LA County by zip code?

My father-in-law is tempted to bid on various foreclosure homes in Los Angeles County, but I've warned him that instead of just going by what the house looks like, he should see whether it's in a safe neighborhood. He's new to Southern California, so he doesn't have a good sense for this. I've looked online for sites that show crime statistics by zip code, but I haven't found anything that's clear. Does anyone have any recommendations?

Public Comments

1. The neighborhood watch program is the best source I know of ...The local police usually are not as cooperative to just ordinary inquires for this information and the newspaper are only sporadic...There are usually signs on the streets if the residents are active in neighborhood watch. No signs then it is a crap shoot. I am in an area with low crime and that is because we have a very good program here...You can really tell a lot by driving down the street, good rule of thumb is if all the yards are kept up no junk cars on the lawns etc there is a good chance the people that live there feel safe. If there is graffiti, trash and junk cars un-kept yards etc..keep going..the property that is for sale should be the only one that may be questionable due to so many have been abandoned.
2. Very likely you don't. Each law enforcement agency in LA County is responsible for keeping their crime statistics for their jurisdiction. Nobody keeps track of crime statistics by zip code because zip codes are immaterial for law enforcement purposes. Even within each law enforcement agency, statistics would probably only be kept per sector or beat or whatever that particular agency might want to call it if they choose to track criminal activity that way. Otherwise, statistics would be kept just on a jurisdiction-wide basis. Your best bet would be to look through the neighborhoods as suggested and to check with the local agency or even the cops who normally patrol those beats (if possible).
3. Look up "Bureau of Justice Statistics".