New Burglary Sentencing Laws Cited : Van de Kamp Reports Decline in Crimes

A continuing decline in burglaries, due in part to new sentencing laws, caused major crimes in California to decline in 1987 for the first time in three years, Atty. Gen. John Van de Kamp said Wednesday.

“We haven’t reached the millennium, but in the major violent crimes that we’re all so concerned about, we’ve had a leveling-off period and there may even be a reduction,” Van de Kamp said at a news conference.

He released a preliminary report showing a 1.9% decline in the six major felonies that make up the state crime index--willful homicide, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and motor vehicle theft. The figures come from the 48 largest police and sheriff’s departments, in whose territories 64% of the state’s crimes occur.

Burglaries Down 9.7%

Burglaries, which represent nearly half the crimes, dropped by 9.7% to 253,000, Van de Kamp said. He said burglaries have declined in each of the last seven years, “one of the true success stories for California law enforcement.”

Among a variety of reasons, including stepped-up drug arrests and new crime prevention programs, Van de Kamp said, perhaps the most important factor was a 1981 law he helped sponsor that requires a prison term for residential burglary except in unusual cases. Analysts say the law is also the leading cause of the rapid increase in the state’s prison population.

Van de Kamp added two cautionary notes:

- A major factor in the overall drop in crime is the general aging of the state’s population, with the result that teen-agers and young adults, the most crime-prone age groups, make up a smaller share of the populace. Experts warn that the trend is likely to reverse in the next decade, Van de Kamp said.

- The major crime statistics do not directly measure drug-related crime, which “is growing rapidly in scope and violence.”

Among the six reported crimes, only two--automobile theft and aggravated assault--showed increases in 1987.

Van de Kamp said the 11.7% increase in auto thefts may be the “flip side” of the decline in burglaries as thieves pick more lucrative targets that carry lighter criminal penalties.

New Law Cited

A 9.2% rise in aggravated assaults may reflect only a statistical change rather than an actual rise in crime, Van de Kamp said. He said a 1985 state law for the first time required most spousal abuse and other domestic violence to be reported as aggravated assault. Reports of that crime increased by more than 35% the following year, and police may still be adjusting to the new standards, Van de Kamp said.

The other three major crimes declined--willful homicides by 3.5%, forcible rapes by 2.5% and robberies by 11.2%.

Replying to a question, Van de Kamp said the decline in crime was unrelated to the new conservative majority on the state Supreme Court. When Gov. George Deukmejian was attorney general, he regularly blamed the court, then headed by Chief Justice Rose Elizabeth Bird, for increases in the crime rate.

“I don’t think there’s any correlation” between court rulings and the crime rate, Van de Kamp said.