County Crime on the Rise : Statistics: Its 1991 rate is up 2.4.%, state figures show. San Juan Capistrano, Brea, La Palma, Laguna Niguel and Mission Viejo report double-digit increases.

The major-crime rate in Orange County increased by 2.4% in 1991 from the previous year, almost double the average yearly increase since 1987, state statistics show.

Three South County cities--Mission Viejo, San Juan Capistrano and Laguna Niguel--were among the top five municipalities experiencing the highest jump in their overall crime rate.

That rate--the number of murders, rapes, robberies, aggravated assaults, burglaries and auto thefts per person--was calculated from new state Department of Justice statistics.

For the the past five years, the average increase in the crime rate has been 1.3% in the county. Still, the 2.4% increase is below that of Los Angeles County and the state, which both jumped 3.2% in 1991.

Communities in both south and north Orange County, which have long been considered oases from crime and urban blight, are catching up with the more urbanized areas of the county. Although they continue to enjoy relatively average to low crime rates, San Juan Capistrano, Brea, La Palma, Laguna Niguel and Mission Viejo experienced double-digit increases in 1991.

“Part of the problem is that in a bedroom community, people have this feeling that we are in Shangri-La,” Mission Viejo Mayor Sharon Cody said. “The truth of the matter is that I have yet to find any city yet where there is no crime.”

The hike came as a surprise to some city officials.

“This is news to me,” Laguna Niguel Mayor Thomas W. Wilson said on Friday. He said that city and police officials would order a study to discuss the crime rate.

This is only the second year that recently incorporated Laguna Niguel has been included in state crime statistics, and its jump from 1990 could be a yearly fluctuation. Several cities have experienced large jumps that are offset the following year by large declines.

San Juan Capistrano Councilman Kenneth E. Friess said he has been hearing a growing number of complaints from residents about car break-ins and home burglaries.

“Quite frankly, I am not surprised at all,” Friess said. “I have a lot of complaints about this going on.”

In other areas, the statistics confirm that already-serious crime problems continue. Gang activity and property crimes continue to plague Stanton, which again maintained its dubious distinction as the county’s most dangerous city.

“The trend seems to continue,” Stanton Councilman David John Shawver said. “Violent crimes are on the rise; I’m not surprised by that at all. To me, I don’t see any way we’re making any improvement.”

But there was some good news: The overall crime rate actually declined in Stanton, dropping from 461 to 443 crimes per 10,000 people, or a 3.9% decrease.

Santa Ana, another city known for its high crime rate, experienced a 14% increase from its 1990 rate. Santa Ana was sixth among county cities in terms of rate of increase.

In contrast, La Palma, an almost exclusively residential city tucked between Cypress and Los Angeles County, saw a whopping 32% surge in its overall crime rate, the highest in the county.

San Juan Capistrano was next with a 25% increase. Brea followed at 24%, Laguna Niguel at 23% and Mission Viejo at 17%.

Police, city officials and crime experts were hard pressed to say why the crime rates have increased so dramatically in those normally quiet cities.

Some attributed the rise to the persistent recession. Others said the crime trends are an indication that what were once bedroom communities are maturing commercially, adding districts that act as magnets for criminals.

“What is obvious to me is that it is an indication that the communities are becoming more accessible to criminals,” said Mark Baldassare, an urban sociologist at UC Irvine. “When you bring more shops into an area, you bring more people. Among them are those who commit crimes.”

Brea Police Chief Donald L. Forkus agreed. Brea, with its sparkling commercial district anchored by the Brea Mall, is becoming a more “complex community,” he said.

“There’s more of everything today in Brea than there was yesterday,” Forkus said.

UCI criminologist Arnold Binder, surprised by the surge in property crimes, said that the increase may be due to “spillover,” a phenomenon that occurs as one city cracks down on crime. As a result, criminals are forced to look elsewhere, usually to less crime-ridden areas, for opportunities.

For instance, Huntington Beach, which has in the past year added two new police substations and implemented an anti-auto-theft program, has seen the most dramatic drop in its overall crime rate.

Huntington Beach Police Chief Ronald E. Lowenberg said that his department has had “great support from the community” in fighting crime.

“You get lucky once in a while,” he said, chuckling. “We’re recognizing that our (police officers) are doing an outstanding job.”

Conversely, La Palma has had a strong rise in its auto-theft rate, up 51% in a single year.

La Palma Police Chief David Barr, whose department instituted a similar anti-auto-theft program three weeks ago, suggested that the recession may be as much to blame for the rise in crime in his city as anything else.

“There seems to be an attitude that if you don’t have it, go and get it,” Barr said. “There was an increase in all crimes of opportunity. The economy was a factor in this; whether it was the main factor, we don’t know.”

City officials and criminologists all agreed that the best way to fight crime is to prevent it, either by locking doors or not going out for walks late at night.

“There’s things we can do as a community,” said Cody, Mission Viejo’s mayor. “Be careful and don’t invite that kind of attention from people who may or may not live in the city.”

Programs such as organized graffiti removal and neighborhood watches can have an impact on lowering crime. The worst thing residents can do, she said, is to ignore the possibility that crime can happen anywhere and not take precautions.

“We get lulled out there,” Cody said. “We always think this is a bedroom community and there are no bad people out there.”

* O.C. STATISTICS: A city-by-city look at crimes in Orange County. B3

* THE BEST AND WORST: Why Irvine had the county’s lowest rate of violent crime and Stanton the highest. B11

Where Major Crime Occurs

Among Orange County cities, Stanton, Buena Park and Santa Ana have the worst per capita major-crime rates. Major crime is the number of murders, rapes, robberies, aggravated assaults, burglaries and auto thefts. Shown are crimes per 10,000 people.

A Slight Rise

Orange County’s major-crime rate rose 2.4% in 1991. Since 1987, the rate has risen an average 1.3% per year. Major crimes per 10,000 people; 1987: 252 1988: 248 1989: 256 1990: 258 1991: 264

Rate of 1991 major crimes per 10,000 people: Above 350 Buena Park Stanton Santa Ana 300 to 349 Fullerton Anaheim Garden Grove Westminster Costa Mesa 250 to 299 La Palma Los Alamitos Orange Tustin Newport Beach 200 to 249 La Habra Brea Cypress Fountain Valley San Juan Capistrano Laguna Beach 150 to 199 Placentia Huntington Beach Irvine Dana Point San Clemente Below 150 Yorba Linda Seal Beach Villa Park Mission Viejo Laguna Niguel Note: Cities in white have no 1991 statistics available Lake Forest Laguna Hills Source: California Department of Justice

Researched by DANNY SULLIVAN / Los Angeles Times