Inside LA libraries: Ex-cons, drugs, and chaos terrorize staff and visitors

Los Angeles public libraries are facing a growing crisis, with reports of violence, drug use, and homelessness turning once-safe community spaces into high-risk areas. Families and librarians alike are expressing fear as these spaces become increasingly dangerous, with many describing them as "no-go zones."

The situation has reached a point where even the enforcement measures designed to manage disruptive behavior are struggling to keep up. Temporary Suspension Letters, which ban individuals from all library branches, have seen a dramatic increase, rising nearly 90% from 369 in 2023 to 700 suspensions in 2025. This surge reflects the escalating challenges that libraries are facing.

A review of 911 logs by the California Post, obtained through a public records request, revealed a wide range of emergency calls related to assaults, criminal threats, drug use, theft, mental health crises, and trespassing. The number of reported incidents at libraries has skyrocketed by nearly 135%, increasing from 979 cases in 2020 to an alarming 2,300 in 2025.

From the flagship Los Angeles Central Library in Downtown LA to the affluent Brentwood Branch Library and South Los Angeles, police officers are frequently dispatched to deal with criminal activity. The Post witnessed the crisis firsthand at the Central Library on Friday, where more than 100 homeless individuals 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 that 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, described the most stressful part as 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 criticized Mayor Karen Bass over the revelations, stating that she had "ceded all of our public spaces to vagrants and violent, drug-addled criminals." He questioned how anyone could expect to run a successful business in the city if people cannot safely visit a publicly-funded library.

LAPD leadership warned in a recent Police Commission review that security at LA public libraries is 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, despite warnings that 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.” That’s correct,” Szabo responded.

Instead, the city has expanded social services inside libraries, including mental health workers and outreach teams, while maintaining an open-access philosophy.

Szabo defended that strategy. “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.