Long Beach : Burglaries Hit 17-Year Low
The number of burglaries in Long Beach last year dipped to the lowest since 1970, police have reported.
There were 7,158 burglaries reported in 1987. The last time there was a lower number was in 1970, when residents reported 6,471 burglaries. In comparison, there were 8,795 in 1986 and 7,897 in 1985. In the past decade, burglaries peaked in 1980, with 10,202.
Police Chief Lawrence Binkley attributed the drop to the department’s emphasis on narcotic arrests. The people burglarizing homes are the sames ones dealing in drugs, he said.
Within the past year, Binkley initiated a street sales-enforcement team and a narcotics-enforcement team to crack down on dealers.
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