The city of Compton as well as southern Los Angeles County in general is notorious for its heavy concentration of gangs and gang violence, such as the Bloods, the Crips, and Sureños, which all originated in the Los Angeles area.

Compton's violent reputation was popularized in the late 1980s by the rise to prominence of local gangsta rap groups Compton's Most Wanted and especially N.W.A, who released the famous album Straight Outta Compton in 1988. The city used to be notorious for gang violence, primarily caused by the Bloods and Crips. Crime rates had been falling for years following the crack epidemic of the 1980s and early 1990s.

Crime, though present in lesser degrees beforehand, worsened significantly with the introduction of crack cocaine in the latter part of the 20th century. The neighborhood lost wealthy residents, with the worsening safety problems, and, after the 1992 riots in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, many African Americans left the city. Meanwhile, many Latino and other immigrant families moved into Compton, including Samoans, Tongans, Koreans, Filipinos, Belizeans and East Africans.

During 2006, Compton deployed twice as many sheriff's deputies and the murder rate has steadily decreased in the last decade. Recent reports show that Compton's violent crime rate has been reduced by 30% over the last ten years, and is continuing to be reduced.

Although the U.S. News & World Report does not even list Compton in the "The 11 Most Dangerous Cities" for overall crime rates in the United States, it contrasts the CQ Press, using data from the FBI's annual report of crime statistics "Crime in the United States 2010," ranked Compton as the 8th most dangerous city in the country.

In 2010, Compton Station area homicides declined by about 38 percent, with 26 homicides in 2010, in comparison to the 42 homicides in 2009. Homicides further dropped to 17 in 2011 before making a modest increase in 2012 to 2^1. This number is a 52 percent decrease from five years ago, and was the lowest number of homicides since 1972. The sheriff's department reported: Taking into consideration the population changes, last year showed the lowest homicide rate since 1965. Property crimes also decreased. These figures demonstrate a 67.2 percent decrease over the five-year period from 2005 to 2010.

"Gifts for Guns"

From 1999 to 2004 Compton's murder rate averaged at around 49 murders per 100,000 annually. In 2005 the city experienced an almost 45% increase in murders, although the annual numbers had dropped significantly in the prior three years. The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department began the annual "Gifts for Guns" program within that same year where the citizens of Compton were given the option to turn in firearms and receive a $50–$100 check for various goods in an effort to combat gun violence. People have turned in about 7,000 guns over the last few years, KABC-TV reported. The program's success has prompted the LASD to expand the program county-wide.