Crime Rate in Ventura Decreases 6% in 1993 : Police: City reports decline in robberies, rapes and assaults. However, there were more homicides than the year before.

Crime in Ventura fell slightly in 1993 for the second year in a row partly because of a sharp drop in robberies, according to figures released Tuesday.

In all, violent and property crimes reported in the city fell 6% compared with 1992 and 9% from 1991 figures, even as the city’s population increased slightly. But last year’s figures were still higher than in 1989 and 1990.

The city had six more homicides in 1993 than in 1992, but the number of rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults dropped. Robberies showed the biggest change, falling 25% despite a surge of holdups at gas stations and fast-food restaurants in December.

Police said they were encouraged by the drop, but noted that crime patterns fluctuate from year to year.

“Any time it goes down, we’re obviously pleased,” said Sgt. Bob Anderson, who supervises the police force’s major crimes unit. “But things go down and things go up. I don’t know if you can count any particular reason or credit any particular effort.”

Mayor Tom Buford said: “You like to see the stats go down and not up, but I don’t think it would cause any of us to believe you’ve got a problem licked.”

Buford also noted that despite the two-year decline, public perception in Ventura and elsewhere is that crime is worsening.

“Some of the things happening in society generally give people a feeling that we’re not in control as we used to be,” he said.

In addition to Ventura, the cities of Oxnard, Port Hueneme and Santa Paula saw overall decreases in the number of crimes reported in 1993. In Santa Paula, however, violent crime reached its highest level in six years.

Figures from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department--which patrols Thousand Oaks, Ojai, Fillmore and the unincorporated areas--are not yet available.

Ventura police linked the city’s decrease in robberies to an overall decline in bank robberies throughout Ventura County.

In 1992, bank holdups surged to a county record of 97, then dropped by 50% in 1993. And in Ventura, bank robberies showed a similar drop from 22 holdups in 1992 to nine last year.

Property crimes used to calculate the city’s crime rate also fell a combined 5.4%.

Burglaries and thefts--the categories with the largest number of incidents--declined, while auto thefts went up 6% and the number of arsons held steady at 58.

Cpl. John Leach, who investigates property crimes, attributed the drop in burglaries and thefts partly to the arrest of a handful of career criminals.

Joey DeBolt, for example, was arrested by Ventura police in October on suspicion of dealing methamphetamine to people who would steal bicycles to pay for the drugs. DeBolt would then strip down the bikes and sell the parts or rebuild the bikes and sell them, police said.

DeBolt is now serving time at the Sheriff Department’s Honor Farm.

“We’re a small enough agency and town that when we see certain people go to jail, there’s a marked decrease in the crime rate,” Leach said. “We can see that, whereas in L. A., they’re not going to see that.”

Although Police Chief Richard Thomas could not be reached for comment, other city officials looked beyond the Police Department for explanations on the crime picture.

City Councilman Greg Carson said the city’s recreation department, for example, helps provide positive activities for youths with after-school programs.

“I don’t look at public safety as just a police department,” he said.

Ventura Crime Statistics, 1991-93

1991 1992 1993 Homicide 6 4 10 Rape 41 35 30 Robbery 146 186 139 Aggravated assault 226 227 217 Burglary 1,275 1,365 1,274 Theft 3,410 3,201 2,999 Auto theft 474 381 402 Arson 41 58 58 Totals 5,619 5,457 5,129

Source: Ventura Police Department