A revolutionary program united former gang cops and Watts residents to bring safety to the projects. But can reform last?

Major happenings in Watts this weekend: two public housing developments came together for youth football.

Jordan Downs and Nickerson Gardens were united by Project Blue, the parent program to the Watts Rams. Project Blue pairs the LAPD and kids in the community through sports. The LAPD's new chief, Jim McDonnell, was there to witness it all.

Through purposeful engagement of residents, we can identify common ground, dispel misconceptions and build relationships

Starting as early as 6 a.m., families started to line up on the sidewalks outside of David M. Gonzales (DMG) Recreation Park in Pacoima for the third annual toy giveaway, although it wasn’t scheduled to start for another four hours.

Los Angeles Mayor Bass states she will pick next police chief by end of the month. Bass provided some of her priorities for the next chief, which included boosting officer morale and expanding the department's heralded Community Safety Partnership program.

The Los Angeles Rams and the North East Lincoln Tigers, a youth football program coached by Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers serving youth in the Ramona Gardens public housing development in Boyle Heights, are launching a partnership that includes renaming the youth team the NORTH EAST LINCOLN RAMS. On Sunday, during the Rams-Broncos Inspire Change themed matchup, North East Lincoln Rams youth players and coaches were invited on the field during the second quarter for the special announcement and received the first North East Lincoln Rams jerseys.

Police numbers matter, up to a point. For temporary street crime drops in the relatively safe areas where wristwatch snatches happen, more police presence works. But what matters far more to everyone’s long-term safety are sustained violence reductions and increased safety in the “hot zones” — chronically high crime poverty areas.

Los Angeles Police Department Deputy Chief Emada Tingirides and Thomas Abt, senior fellow at the Council on Criminal Justice and expert in violence reduction, join Dr. Phil on Wednesday’s episode to share how they believe we can begin to solve the violence epidemic. Hear their thoughts in the video above.

Cities across the country are grappling with a surge in violent crime. As part of our continuing Protecting Public Safety series, Emada Tingirides, deputy chief of the Los Angeles Police Department and a member of the Council on Criminal Justice Violent Crime Working Group, joined Washington Post Live on Wednesday, Jan. 12 to discuss new recommendations on how to respond and what is contributing to the spike including in her city.

In Los Angeles, Community Safety Partnership (CSP) officers work in collaboration with community stakeholders in some of the city’s toughest neighborhoods. They work tirelessly to connect residents with public and private resources and form alliances with public health professionals, prosecutors, community advocates, gang interventionists and educators.

Watts Rams is about giving underprivileged kids in Los Angeles a chance to be apart of something with coaches that participate in aspects of their lives on and off the field.

Artistas inspiraron a los jóvenes durante el proceso de pintura, mostrándoles que existen opciones de vida a pesar de los altos índices de violencia que se reportan en sus comunidades. Padres de familia y miembros de la policía también se unieron a esta actividad, destacando la importancia de estos espacios.