Crime Drops in 4 Major Cities, Rises in 3 Others, Report Shows : Law enforcement: Police chiefs say improved community relations may be the reason for an increase in the number of reported violent crimes.

The crime rate dropped in 1991 in four of the county’s major cities but jumped dramatically in Santa Ana, Orange and Irvine, according to a new state crime report.

Many of the police chiefs interviewed Friday said that more violent offenses were reported last year, but added that may be due to improved relations with communities.

“There are more robberies with more violence involved, more injuries,” Garden Grove Police Chief John Robertson said. “It’s not just purse snatching anymore--now they knock down people before taking their purses.”

Anaheim Police Chief Joseph T. Molloy said heightened public awareness about sexual assaults and an increase in the number of female officers handling rape cases have encouraged victims to come forward.

“I think they feel more comfortable about coming to us, and we’re now more sensitive to those crimes,” he said.

The California Department of Justice computed numbers from cities serving populations of at least 100,000 for murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, auto theft, larceny and arson.

Total crimes reported increased 14.7% in Santa Ana, 10.2% in Orange and 7.9% in Irvine.

Huntington Beach had the largest decrease in reported crimes: a 11.7% drop. The crime rate also decreased in Fullerton, Anaheim and Garden Grove.

Santa Ana Police Chief Paul M. Walters partly attributed the increase in his city to a greater willingness to report crimes.

There are now six police substations in Santa Ana, and the department has outreach programs with the large Latino and Asian populations, he said.

“A lot of these other cities are just now realizing they have this (minority) population to deal with,” Walters said. “It’s been a policy of ours for a long time to work with the various groups of people.”

In Irvine, Police Chief Charles S. Brobeck noted that burglary was a large part of the crime jump. Reductions in police patrols because of budget problems may have contributed to that, he said.

“We’d like to think that this kind of activity (patrol teams) would keep the number of burglaries down,” Brobeck said.

Acting Police Chief of Orange Merrill V. Duncan was not available Friday, and the department spokesman, Lt. Trey Sirks, declined to comment.

In cities with decreased crime rates, none of the police chiefs claimed full credit for their departments. Rather, they said, new programs here and there helped control the numbers.

Huntington Beach Police Chief Ron Lowenberg said the large decrease of violations in his city might have resulted from two new substations.

“We were very pleased with the outcome,” he said, but warned that further budget cuts might reverse that trend.

“We’re already asking our officers to do more with less.”

Molloy from Anaheim also said law enforcement is more demanding and dangerous than it was 30 years ago. His department, serving a city with a major tourist attraction, must deal with at least 21 million visitors a year, he said.

Robertson of Garden Grove credited the slight decrease in the crime rate to the department’s gang unit.

“Considering the number of gangs that impact our area, we’re real pleased with the numbers,” he said.

Fullerton Police Chief Philip Goehring said his department has been zeroing in on eliminating sources of repeated crimes, such as closing down certain bars. This tactic resulted in noticeable drops in offenses, he said.

“It represents some hard work by our men and women,” Goehring said.

Gains and Losses Against Crime

Four of Orange County’s seven largest cities saw a drop in their crime rates in 1991. The other three cities of more than 100,000 population had significant increases.

Here are the overall numbers, including both violent and property crimes. Cities are listed from lowest to highest rate:

Percent Change City Rate Per 10,000 From 1990 Rate Total Crimes Irvine 165 7.9 1,834 Huntington Beach 186 -11.7 3,406 Orange 278 10.2 3,138 Fullerton 308 -3.8 3,562 Garden Grove 336 -0.2 4,879 Anaheim 342 -2.5 9,343 Santa Ana 396 14.7 11,904 Seven-city total 307 3.1 38,066

Violent Crimes

Irvine had not only the lowest rate of the seven cities, but also showed a significant rate decline from 1990:

Rate Per Percent Change TOTAL CRIMES City 10,000 From 1990 Rate Murder Rape Robbery Irvine 12 -12.3 0 15 61 Huntington Beach 35 -19.9 6 51 168 Orange 51 6.6 5 17 257 Fullerton 64 -2.0 3 46 286 Garden Grove 69 -2.3 7 45 458 Anaheim 71 5.0 25 111 983 Santa Ana 110 21.4 59 76 1,946 Seven-city total 67 6.5 105 361 4,159

City Assault Irvine 55 Huntington Beach 419 Orange 292 Fullerton 409 Garden Grove 492 Anaheim 823 Santa Ana 1,225 Seven-city total 3,715

Source: California Bureau of Crime Statistics; U.S. Census Bureau; California Department of Finance

Researched by: DANNY SULLIVAN / Los Angeles Times