Thousand Oaks Is Safest Big City in U.S., FBI Says : Crime: Building designs help deter criminals, and police attend planning meetings to give advice.

Thousand Oaks is the safest city in the United States with a population of more than 100,000 people, according to FBI crime statistics released Tuesday.

The eastern Ventura County city had a rate of 2,952 crimes per 100,000 citizens in 1989, far fewer than in Oxnard, where there were 7,944 crimes per 100,000 residents during the same period.

The annual FBI report lists crime rates for 181 cities with populations of 100,000 people or more. In contrast to cities in Ventura County, nearby Los Angeles had 319,097 crimes per 100,000 people. The national crime rate was about 5,834 per 100,000.

Three cities in Ventura County--Thousand Oaks, Oxnard and Simi Valley--have more than 100,000 people. Thousand Oaks, which has 107,196 residents, and Oxnard, with a population of 130,342, were included in the study. However, Simi Valley, which has 103,220 residents, was not included, said FBI spokesman Gary Auer.

William Wade, the area commander for the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department, attributed Thousand Oaks’ low crime rate to exceptional city planning, among other factors.

The city avoids building alleys behind houses where burglars can gain easy access to neighborhoods, Wade said. Parking garages, poorly lit parking lots and commercial buildings with hidden areas not easily seen from the road also are discouraged, he said.

In addition, a police liaison attends the Planning Commission meetings to offer advice on how buildings can be constructed to discourage crime, Wade said.

“You can prevent crime by design,” Wade said.

In the early 1970s, Thousand Oaks began planning its buildings, shopping centers and neighborhoods to deter crime, Wade said. As a result, the crime rate has dropped in Thousand Oaks over the years even though population has increased, he said.

Other contributing factors to the city’s low crime rate include the community’s willingness to participate in neighborhood crime-watch programs, and Ventura County’s aggressive attitude toward prosecuting criminals, Wade said.

“We’re known for being a very tough county,” Wade said.

Thousand Oaks officials said the low crime rate attracts residents. “People have told me that they moved out of the San Fernando Valley for that reason,” Councilman Frank Schillo said.

According to statistics from the Sheriff’s Department, the crime rate in Thousand Oaks dropped by 1.2% per 1,000 people from 1988 to 1989. The homicide rate fell by 35% per 1,000 from three murders to two.

However, the rate of violent crimes per 100,000 people increased by 6.5%. Residential and commercial burglaries, grand theft, auto theft and arson also rose.

In Oxnard, murders fell from 11 per 100,000 in 1988 to 6 per 100,000 in 1989. The rate of rapes also fell from 81 per 100,000 in 1989 to a rate of 51 per 100,000 in 1989, Auer said.

But robberies, aggravated assaults and motor vehicle thefts increased in Oxnard during 1989, while burglaries, larceny and arson decreased. Nationwide, crime increased by 3% in 1989.

Violent crimes--murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault--increased by 5%. Property crimes--such as burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft--increased by 2%.

Times staff writer Tina Daunt contributed to this story.