Car Thefts Spur Antelope Valley Crime Increase

A 64% increase in car thefts in the fast-growing Antelope Valley contributed to an 8% increase in the overall crime rate for the first three months of the year compared to the same period last year, officials reported Thursday.

A report by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Antelope Valley station showed the number of reported crimes in eight categories--homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, grand theft auto and arson--at 2,787 for the period from January through March. That total was up from 2,095 during the first three months of 1988.

The statistics translate into an 8% increase in the rate of crime per 10,000 residents, which went up from 116.38 to 126.68 for the quarter, said Sgt. Greg Collins, who compiled the statistics.

The Sheriff’s Department polices an area that includes Lancaster, Palmdale and surrounding communities. The population rose from 180,000 to 220,000 from 1988 to 1989, according to the report.

The crime rate for the first quarter of 1988 declined 9% from the first quarter of 1987, despite a population growth of about 30,000 residents, Collins said. He said that because the statistics cover only three months, the fluctuating rate could be attributed to intense activity of a car-theft ring during one period, while a decline in statistics could be attributed to the breakup of such a ring.

The number of homicides and reported rapes did not fluctuate from the 1988 to 1989 periods, remaining at two and 21, respectively, officials said. But the number of car thefts went from 264 to 434, a 64% increase, and the number of robberies went up 34%, from 67 to 90.

The increase in these and other crimes can partially be attributed to the area’s rapid growth and increasing awareness of that growth in other areas, Collins said. For example, he said, more cars stolen in the Antelope Valley are discovered in the San Fernando Valley and other parts of Los Angeles, suggesting that criminals from those areas find the Antelope Valley an attractive hunting ground.

Collins said similar factors help account for a 35% rise in residential burglaries, noting that many Antelope Valley neighborhoods are deserted during the day because most residents work and commute long distances to their jobs.

“We have a lot of dual-income families commuting and people are aware of that,” he said.

Larcenies went up 39%, from 836 to 1,165, partly because an increase in shoplifting and beefed-up store security have resulted in more reports, Collins said. The number of arson incidents rose from 17 to 24, a 41% increase that Collins said was not a dire concern because of the small numbers involved.