Ventura County Boasts Lowest Crime in West : Safety: The 1989 rate of 3,814 crimes per 100,000 people compares to 7,424 in L.A. County, the FBI says. Officials credit tough courts and citizen involvement.

Ventura County’s crime rate is the lowest in the western United States for counties with at least one city of 50,000 or more residents, according to FBI statistics released Sunday.

While crime rates for the nation and California increased from 1988 to 1989, FBI figures show that the crime rate in Ventura County decreased.

Ventura County had 3,814 crimes per 100,000 people in 1989, compared to a rate of 3,876 in 1988.

The 1989 rate for the United States was 5,741 crimes per 100,000 residents, an increase from 5,664 the previous year. California had a rate of 6,763 in 1989 and 6,636 in 1988.

Neighboring counties in California also showed higher rates than Ventura County during the last year. Los Angeles County had a rate of 7,424 crimes per 100,000 people. San Diego County had a rate of 7,362, and Orange County’s rate was 5,939. Santa Barbara had a rate of 5,099.

In Ventura County, murders were down from 28 in 1988 to 20 in 1989. Rapes, assaults and larceny also declined slightly. Robberies, burglaries and motor vehicle thefts increased.

The report said Ventura County is the safest county west of Bismarck, N.D., among counties with at least one city or urban area of 50,000 or more people. There are more than 30 other counties in that category with lower crime rates than Ventura County’s, all east of Bismarck.

Police officials attributed Ventura County’s low crime rate to a variety of factors, including the absence of large pockets of poverty, tougher sentencing of criminals, and a greater willingness among citizens to report crimes.

“Any time there’s a city of lower socioeconomic levels, it will have additional crime,” said Dist. Atty. Michael D. Bradbury. “I imagine the reverse of that is that we’re a fairly affluent community.”

County officials cited the district attorney’s policy against plea bargaining, along with stiff sentencing by judges, as other reasons for the county’s low crime rate.

“Ventura County’s reputation is for being on the hanging side of the criminal justice system,” said Undersheriff Larry Carpenter.

Officials also said they believe that Ventura County residents are more willing than people in many other areas of the state to take action against crime by joining Neighborhood Watch programs, contributing money to anti-drug programs, and responding to mailed subpoenas at a 90% rate.

The planning of cities such as Thousand Oaks also deters crime, officials said.

Lt. George Conahey of the East Valley Sheriff’s Station, which polices Thousand Oaks, said that a sheriff’s liaison attends city Planning Commission meetings to offer advice on how buildings can be constructed to prevent crime.

Houses must be built so doors are clearly visible from the street, a factor that discourages burglars, he said. The city also avoids building alleys behind houses and insists on good lighting for parking lots, garages and commercial areas.

Such planning on its eastern end may provide a buffer between Ventura County, which is somewhat geographically isolated anyway, and Los Angeles County, officials said.

“Maybe we create an environment where people want safety and low crime rates,” Carpenter said. “But there are times when it’s just luck involved and we accept wherever it comes from.”