Los Angeles public libraries are being overwhelmed by violence, drug use and homelessness with frightened families and librarians saying once-safe community spaces are often no-go zones.
Even enforcement measures designed to control disruptive behavior are now buckling under the strain.
Temporary Suspension Letters — which ban unruly patrons from all library branches — have surged nearly 90% from 369 in 2023 to 700 suspensions in 2025.
A California Post review of 911 logs obtained through a public records request found the emergency call outs were for assaults, criminal threats, drug use, theft, mental health crises and trespassing.
And reported incidents at libraries have skyrocketed by nearly 135% — from 979 cases in 2020 to a staggering 2,300 in 2025.
From the flagship Los Angeles Central Library in Downtown LA, to affluent Brentwood Branch Library and South Los Angeles, police officers are being dispatched to arrest the criminals involved.
The Post witnessed the crisis firsthand at Central Library in Downtown LA on Friday.
More than 100 homeless people were gathered inside and outside the building.
Many occupied public computers, while others clustered near entrances, some openly using drugs.
One man, still wearing clothing issued by Men’s Central Jail along with a jail wristband, told The Post he had only just been released and ended up at the library.
Mea Munoz, who brings her 17-month-old son to the library almost every day, said the most stressful part was getting through the front doors.
“It can be dangerous,” she said about the rabble gathered outside. “When we come in, we put our heads down and just walk to the children’s area.”
While she values the programs the library offers her son, the atmosphere was ”scary,” she said.
Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt slammed Mayor Karen Bass over the revelations, saying she’d ”ceded all of our public spaces to vagrants and violent, drug-addled criminals.”
“If Angelenos can’t even safely go to a publicly-funded library, how can anyone expect to run a successful business anywhere in this city?” Pratt said.
“Nobody feels safe here. The degree to which Karen Bass and Nithya Raman have forced us to accept this level of degeneracy in our city has created a malaise that hangs over our community like a dark cloud.
“Angelenos are demoralized, hopeless, and have all but given up on this city with these lunatics in charge. We can not accept the inmates running the asylum anymore.”
LAPD leadership warned in a recent Police Commission review that security at LA public libraries was stretched dangerously thin.
The department’s Security Services Division, which oversees library safety, is operating with 24 sworn vacancies and a workforce that is 43% understaffed, according to department documents.
In 2020, Los Angeles libraries had roughly 28 dedicated police officers assigned across the city’s library system. Today, that number has fallen to just 12, even as crime and emergency calls at libraries continue to rise.
To fill the gap, the City has increasingly relied on overtime and private security contractors, even as officials warn dependence on a single vendor creates additional risks.
Police told the commission that maintaining basic order inside libraries has become increasingly difficult.
At a recent city budget hearing, where the library system’s $14 million security budget came under scrutiny, City Librarian John Szabo acknowledged the scale of the crisis.
“We have very serious challenges across the system,” he said.
Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky pressed Szabo on why LAPD-funded security positions remain vacant while incidents continue to rise.
“You have the resources,” she said. “But those positions aren’t filled.”
Instead, the city has expanded social services inside libraries, including mental health workers and outreach teams, while maintaining an open-access philosophy.
“We cannot rely only on LAPD and security services to deal with all of the issues that present themselves,” he said.
Police officials offered a sharply different assessment.
In their report to the commission, they called for increased hiring, more visible enforcement and added security measures such as metal detectors, warning that a stronger security presence remains one of the few tools that consistently deters crime.
On the ground, workers say conditions have already crossed a dangerous line.
One librarian, speaking anonymously out of fear of retaliation, described fires in bathrooms, drug use, people bathing in sinks and needles left behind inside library branches.
“It’s a daily survival environment,” the worker said. “You try to stay calm, but it wears on you.”
Rachel Werner, a library patron, said she went to a Westside branch to check out a book but instead watched an agitated man kick the side of her car before chasing her into the library.
“I was scared. The librarians were terrified,” she said. “They told me it’s so dangerous here.”
Councilmember Traci Park has introduced a motion calling for a full review of library safety, emergency response coordination and staffing.
“Too often, our librarians are on the frontlines — dealing with crisis-level situations that lead to assaults, violence and disorder,” Park told The Post. “We cannot keep treating the symptoms of homelessness without addressing the underlying problems of addiction and mental health.”
“Ultimately, we need to ensure that the people who work at and visit our libraries are safe.”
Park’s motion was submitted to the council in 2024 and is still awaiting approval.
The Post reached out to Szabo for comment and did not receive a response.
California Post News: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, WhatsApp, LinkedInCalifornia Post Sports Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, XCalifornia Post Opinion California Post Newsletters: Sign up here!California Post App: Download here!Home delivery: Sign up here!Page Six Hollywood: Sign up here!
