Downward trend in Southern California homicides

The number of homicides in Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties either saw a sharp drop or remained mostly unchanged last year compared to 2006, according to new crime statistics.

Homicides fell from 12 in 2006 to six in 2007 in the area patrolled by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, officials said. The sheriff’s jurisdiction includes 12 of the county’s 34 cities, serving a population of about 3.2 million people.

Closer partnerships with the community and increasing use of DNA evidence in apprehending repeat criminals played a part in keeping a lid on violent crime, as did substance-abuse programs in county jails, said Undersheriff Jo Ann Galisky.

Several of the county’s largest cities reported little change in the number of homicides logged last year. Irvine’s homicides remained at four, while Anaheim’s jumped from 13 to 17. Huntington Beach reported no homicides for the first time in three years.

Santa Ana, the county’s largest city with 350,000 residents, had 23 homicides, down from 26 the previous year, police said. Although official numbers have not been released, felony assaults in the city are on the rise, said Santa Ana Police Sgt. Bob Wooding. “The only difference is the person didn’t die,” he said.

In neighboring Riverside County, the number of homicides dropped from 71 in 2006 to 68 in 2007 within the sheriff’s jurisdiction. The department contracts with 14 of the county’s 24 cities for police services.

“We have increased the amount of sworn police officers to meet the increasing population,” said Det. Jerry Franchville, a spokesman for the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. The department added more than 100 officers in the last year, he said, bringing the total to 1,959.

The Riverside Police Department, which covers a city of about 300,000, reported 10 homicides, down one from 2006.

Homicides plummeted even more in the area patrolled by the San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner Department, which contracts with 14 of the county’s 24 cities for law enforcement services.

The department reported 63 homicides last year, down from 77 the previous year, according to department statistics.

One major factor contributing to the drop was the addition of 150 law enforcement officers last year, bringing the department total to 1,915.

Three new anti-gang units also helped bring the numbers down, officials said.

The teams “go out and proactively seek out gang members, identifying them, arresting them, monitoring those on parole and probation,” said Sgt. Tony De Cecio. “So there’s a lot of prevention ahead of time.”

The San Bernardino Police Department reported 56 homicides, up from 52 the previous year.

One city resident, however, isn’t worried about the uptick.

“The feeling in the community is that crime in general is down, and I don’t think people are particularly concerned by that small increase in homicides,” said Jonathan Buffong, director of the Westside Community Center. “I live and work in the westside, where there’s more crime. 2006 was really rough for San Bernardino. Last year was better.”

This month, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department reported that it investigated 273 slayings last year, down from 328 in 2006.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Police Department recorded 392 homicides in 2007, the lowest number in 37 years.

daniela.perdomo@latimes.com