Major Crimes Jump 8.1% in California

Fueled by the violence associated with crack cocaine, major crimes in California jumped 8.1% during the first six months of this year over the same period in 1988, according to a report by Atty. Gen. John K. Van de Kamp.

Van de Kamp blamed the increase, which represents a reversal after five years of ebbing crime rates, on the growing impact of crack cocaine in California.

“In recent years, we have experienced a decline in most crime categories even while national crime rates were rising. But now that we are feeling the full impact of crack cocaine in the street, we see the numbers rising again,” he said in a written statement.

The report by Van de Kamp’s Bureau of Criminal Statistics showed a major increase in motor vehicle thefts, up 15.5% over the previous year. Willful homicides jumped 11.3%, robbery increased 13.4% and aggravated assaults were up 10.5%. Rape showed the only decrease, dropping 2.9%.

The figures were not adjusted for population growth. Therefore, when crime rates per 100,000 residents are calculated at year’s end, they are likely to drop somewhat from the figures used in the report. The mid-year report compiles data from the 49 largest law enforcement agencies, whose territories contain two-thirds of the state’s population.