Sheriff’s Midyear Tally Notes 1% Rise in Crime

Major crimes reported to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department during the first six months of this year increased 1% over the same period last year, according to a report released Monday.

“At this half-year point, it is too early to state categorically whether a 1% overall increase is statistically significant,” Sheriff Sherman Block said in a statement released with the report.

Rape showed the most significant increase, jumping 14% from 390 incidents during the first six months of 1984 to 444 reported incidents so far this year.

Homicides Decrease

However, homicide dropped 18%, and aggravated assault was down 4%.

In the eight categories of major crime, there were 52,434 reports, contrasted with 51,668 during the first half of 1984.

Other crimes that showed increases were auto thefts (11%), burglaries (5%) and robberies (1%).

Arson reports decreased by 14%, and thefts showed a 2% drop.

The 1% increase runs counter to a downward trend at the national and local level that began three years ago, the sheriff’s report said. Reports of major crime in the county decreased 9% in 1983, and a 4% drop was reported in 1982.

By comparison, the Los Angeles Police Department reported a 0.5% increase in reports of major crimes in its jurisdiction between Jan. 1 and May 31. During that period, there were 123,625 major crimes recorded in the city, contrasted with 122,986 for the same period last year. The department reported a 3.2% drop in 1984.

Population Increase

Sheriff’s spokeswoman Lynda Edmonds said the 1% figure may be misleading since increases in the county’s population might account for the rise in serious crime.

Between Jan. 1, 1984, and Jan. 1, 1985, the county’s population grew from 3,105,000 to 3,145,000, according to statistics from the state Department of Finance. No figures were available for the first half of this year.

Although no figures are yet available, drug-related arrests appear to be increasing, Sheriff’s Department spokesman John Broussard said, adding that cocaine, heroin and marijuana topped the list of illegal drugs seized during the first half of the year.