Violent Crime Shows Slight Drop in San Gabriel Valley

The number of reported violent crimes remained virtually unchanged in the San Gabriel Valley last year, despite civil unrest in April and May and continuing economic hard times that police say usually bring a surge in crime.

Instead, statistics measured collectively for eight crimes--murder, rape, robbery, assault, burglary, theft, auto theft and arson--show rates decreased slightly, by .8%, in the 29 cities and unincorporated county area stretching from Pasadena to Pomona.

In 1992, 96,289 major crimes were reported in the region, compared to 97,074 in 1991, according to statistics compiled by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and other law enforcement agencies.

The tally will be forwarded to the state Department of Justice and to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which release reports later in the year.

Although police say recession typically spurs crimes of desperation, the nearly static crime tallies would appear to counter that.

Law enforcement officials were puzzled by the drop, but some tried to speculate on its cause.

“People that were arrested during the uprising (that followed last year’s Rodney G. King-related verdicts) I would suspect were involved in everyday crime anyway,” Pasadena Police Lt. Rick Law said. “Maybe police were fortunate enough to arrest them during the uprising. They’ve done some jail time and maybe that’s why crime has not gone up.”

Law added that the riots may have prompted police to work on community relations, resulting in cooperation between residents and police and a lowering of the crime rate.

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Operations Sgt. Scott Coleman of the Industry station said the civil unrest may have bolstered awareness and prompted more preventive action by deputies.

“It looks good for us; we’re glad to see it,” Coleman said of the small drop in crime. “But as to the reason why, I can’t give one.”

Overall, the number of reported violent crimes decreased in 16 valley cities and in the unincorporated county area patrolled by sheriff’s deputies.

In terms of percentages, cities showing the largest decreases were San Marino and South Pasadena. San Marino’s 38.8% decrease came mainly in reductions in the number of thefts and burglaries, whereas South Pasadena’s 18.4% decrease came largely in robbery, theft and burglary. But the city reported a 48.8% increase in assaults, from 45 in 1991 to 67.

In raw numbers, cities with the fewest crimes were the smaller communities. Bradbury, population 829, had only 12 violent crimes; Sierra Madre, population 10,762, had 209 crimes; Walnut, population 29,105, had 910, and Duarte, population 20,688, had 941.