Major Crime Up, but ‘Positive Trend’ Is Seen

There was more serious crime in San Diego County during the first six months of 1989 than in the first half of 1988, either 4% more or 0.4% more, depending on the interpretation of statistics from a San Diego Assn. of Governments survey.

Police reported 87,469 “major crimes” in the county through the first half of 1989, a 4% increase from the 1988 figure of 83,765, said Susan Pennell, director of Sandag’s criminal justice research unit.

When those figures are divided by the number of people in the county--Sandag used estimates of 2,418,181 for 1989 and 2,328,331 for 1988--to arrive at a crime rate, the calculations yield an annualized 1989 rate of 72.3 crimes for every 1,000 residents, up 0.4% from the 1988 rate of 72.0 crimes for every 1,000 people.

“The big picture is that, for the first time in several years, we’re seeing a more positive trend in reported crime, with a less than 1% increase,” Pennell said Tuesday, focusing on the figures for crime rates. “Hopefully, we can see this positive trend through the rest of this year.”

A Turnaround Seen

“Major crimes” include homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft, according to the study, released last Friday. The Sandag research unit compiles police reports of those crimes and compares those statistics not only to previous periods in San Diego but also to figures from across California.

It was interesting, Pennell said, that, although crime statistics “the last couple of years in San Diego (County) were climbing, and around the state they were declining, now we’re seeing a turnaround between the two.”

For example, police in San Diego County, who reported 103 homicides in the first six months of 1988, counted 83 in the first half of 1989, a drop of 19%, Pennell said. Statewide, there were 1,092 homicides during the 1989 period, 981 in 1988, a rise of 11%, she said.

The number of violent crimes in the county--homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault--climbed 5.5% during the first half of 1989, to 8,534 from 8,086, the statistics showed. Local police solved 57% of those violent crimes, up from 54% in 1988.

Property Crimes Rose

Property crimes--burglary, larceny and vehicle theft--rose 4.3% this year, to 78,935 from 75,679, while the value of property stolen increased 14%, from $139 million to $158 million, according to the survey.

Vehicles accounted for nearly two-thirds of all property stolen, Pennell said, adding that 20,016 of the 1,701,527 vehicles registered in San Diego County were stolen in the first half of 1989. That translates into an annual rate of 1 of every 43 vehicles, Pennell said.

During the first six months of 1988, 1 of every 45 registered vehicles--18,236 of 1,625,961--was stolen, Pennell said.

The chances of being robbed in the county during the first half of 1989 were 1 in 456, according to the survey. The odds of being the victim of a larceny were 1 in 29 and of a burglary, 1 house in 40, the survey said.

VIOLENT CRIME

1988 1989 CHANGE Escondido 4.7 7.0 +49% Coronado 1.3 1.7 +31% La Mesa 2.8 3.5 +25% National City 11.0 13.0 +18% Santee 2.4 2.8 +17% Unincorporated 4.1 4.6 +12% Vista 5.9 6.5 +10% Poway 2.0 2.2 +10% Solana Beach 1.7 1.8 +6% San Diego 8.4 8.8 +5% El Cajon 5.4 5.3 -2% San Marcos 3.7 3.6 -3% Chula Vista 8.7 8.0 -8% Carlsbad 4.8 4.0 -17% Oceanside 12.5 10.3 -18% Encinitas 4.2 3.4 -19% Imperial Beach 6.8 5.1 -25% Lemon Grove 10.1 6.5 -36% Del Mar 4.3 2.3 -47% COUNTYWIDE 6.9 7.1 3%

Violent crimes include homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault. Figures are the rate per 1,000 population. SOURCE: San Diego Assn. of Governments.