A 35-year Police Department veteran was named Wednesday to lead a fight against the bloody gang warfare that has sent Los Angeles' murder rate spiraling and made people in gang-ridden communities prisoners in their own homes.

Capt. Michael Hillman, who most recently commanded the Los Angeles Police Department's air support division, was promoted to deputy chief and specifically charged with coordinating the department's fight against street gangs.

Chief William Bratton, who formally appointed Hillman during a swearing-in ceremony Wednesday afternoon, said the veteran officer is "universally admired in this organization.

"He understands my goal of gaining the respect of the community," Bratton added.

Hillman said he plans to adopt a citywide approach to combatting gangs.

"I hope we can do some good things relatively quickly," he said.

Police officials announced previously that they plan to assign more anti-gang officers to the poor, largely minority South Central Los Angeles area, the scene of most of the violent gang battles that have sometimes caught innocent bystanders in the crossfire.

The city's 617 homicides through Dec. 2 represent an 11 percent increase over all of last year.

Bratton has called gang members "domestic terrorists," who threaten the nation's security, saying Tuesday that they have become as dangerous and powerful as New York City's five Mafia crime families were before the federal government cracked down on them in the 1990s.

He called for using federal anti-racketeering and tax evasion statutes against their leaders, just as federal authorities did in targeting the Mafia.

Also Wednesday, Bratton promoted Cmdr. Earl Paysinger to deputy chief and put him in charge of all southside police divisions, the area that includes the city's worst gang violence.

L.A is still the gang-capitol and I don't think that this will change in the near future.

^^^yup...late 70s early 80s was the worst for gang bangin...bodies were droppin alot more than they are now...but right now its escalatin alot...these youngstas seem to not care no more...and thats pretty scary...these kids aint even lived yet and theyre losin their lives for something as petty as a street...