Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : Rate of Major Crime Dips in Antelope Valley

The rate of major crimes in this north Los Angeles County region declined slightly in the first nine months of the year, according to figures released Tuesday by the Sheriff’s Department.

Throughout the valley the incidence of reported major crimes, such as homicide, rape and assault, declined from 376 per 10,000 people between January and September, 1992, to 364 per 10,000 residents in the same period this year.

“These are the best stats we’ve had in a long time,” said Sheriff’s Sgt. Bob Denham, noting that homicides were down in all areas of the valley with just 18 so far this year compared to 28 in 1992.

The city of Lancaster had a 4.1% drop in the number of major crimes, from 4,947 in the first nine months of 1992 to 4,743 for the same period this year.

In the region’s unincorporated areas, the incidence of reported crime dropped 1.7%.

“It’s very encouraging,” Denham said. “Just to be holding a level on most major crimes when they’re going up across the nation is very encouraging.”

But the news was not so good in all areas of the Antelope Valley. In Palmdale, the number of reported major crimes increased 9.8% this year from 3,732 to 4,097, compared to the same period one year ago.

It is unusual, Denham said, for Lancaster and Palmdale to have such differing crime statistics.

“The citizens of Lancaster have been very active in pursuing Neighborhood Watch,” he said.

The watch programs are the “single biggest deterrent for residential crime,” Denham said.

Burglaries dropped 16% in Lancaster, from 1,119 to 935 in the first nine months of the year compared to 1992. In Palmdale the number of burglaries increased 3% to 795.

Both cities, he said, have been encouraging citizen patrol programs.

Arson was up considerably in the Antelope Valley, with an overall increase of 146% this year to 167 reported incidents between January and September. There were dozens of arson fires here earlier this year, many of them set by juveniles.

There has also been a significant increase in auto theft throughout the valley, although Denham said that is occurring nationwide. In the Antelope Valley, there were 1,483 reported auto thefts in the first nine months of the year, compared to 1,201 in the same period one year ago.

“(People) need to lock their vehicles and take the keys out of them,” Denham said. “Most vehicles are stolen in front of people’s homes between 1 and 4 a.m.”