Antelope Valley Crime Rate Climbs

The Antelope Valley’s crime rate outpaced its population growth rate in the first six months of 1989, resulting in 11% more crimes per inhabitant for the period, according to Los Angeles County sheriff’s statistics.

In the rapidly growing valley, that produced an overall increase of 35% in crimes in the 1,500-square-mile area policed by the sheriff’s Antelope Valley station, officials said Wednesday.

The sheriff’s patrol area encompasses the Los Angeles County portion of the Antelope Valley as far south as Agua Dulce and north to Kern County.

Surging crime in recent years has resulted partly from the area’s rapid population growth, one of the fastest in the state, sheriff’s officials say. Palmdale led the county last year with 17% population growth, and Lancaster experienced a 10% increase. The influx of residents from urban areas has fed drug and gang problems common elsewhere.

The number of murders committed in the first six month of the year jumped to seven, compared to two in the same period in 1988. But Sgt. Greg Collins said that in at least three of those cases, bodies were dumped in the Angeles National Forest or remote canyon areas and could involve murders committed elsewhere.

Auto theft climbed 76%, from 479 to 843 cases. Many cars stolen in the Antelope Valley are recovered in county areas to the south, Collins said, and one factor in the increase may be people who steal cars because they need a way out of the area, which is accessible mainly by car.

Auto theft rings have also targeted the valley in the past, Collins said, though he knew of no such ring in operation currently.

Larceny and robbery rose 40% and 35% respectively. Officials cited shoplifting at the growing number of retail stores in the area. Collins said the robbery figures were high partly because of a string of at least 20 stickups in Lancaster in which a suspect recently was arrested.

Arson went up 37%, burglaries 20%, assaults 23% and rapes 16%.