Crime Rate Fell in 1993--Even in Santa Ana

Amid rising public concern about crime, the number of reported criminal offenses in the state and Orange County fell last year, state Atty. Gen. Dan Lungren said Tuesday.

The exception was homicide, which rose 5% statewide and by a whopping 34.5% in Santa Ana. Elsewhere in the county, the number of homicides remained constant.

For most of Orange County, crime decreased between 1992 and 1993, from 2.2% in Orange to 13.1% in Irvine. Even in Santa Ana, despite the rising homicide rate, overall crime decreased 10%.

Lungren said the general decline--in both violent and property crimes--was a reflection of the state’s tougher approach to criminals in recent years, but he argued that there was still no cause for complacency.

He attributed the increase in murders to what he called “the culture of violence”--the glamorizing of violent behavior in movies, music, video games and even professional sports.

Only three areas of Orange County included in the study, Anaheim, Huntington Beach and the Sheriff’s Department’s jurisdiction, reported overall increases in crime.

The area patrolled by deputies reported a 13.4% increase in violent crime, and a 6.6% increase overall.

“We have to recognize that as an increase, even if a slight one, although we would not recognize that as a trend or a crime pattern,” said Lt. Dan Martini. “It’s a red flag to us that we need to isolate specific areas where those increases are. We’ll make an effort in those areas as to why these increases are occurring. The causes could range from coincidence to hard economic times. We’ll look for patterns.”

Huntington Beach reported a 7.9% overall increase in reported crime. But there was a dramatic 42.2% drop in reported rapes.

The rise did not surprise Huntington Beach Police Department spokesman Mike Corcoran.

“We expected it, and anticipated it to a certain extent,” Corcoran said, “because of our shift to community-oriented policing program. Statistical increases start to happen when that is put in, although it’s usually temporary, because we’re in contact with the public more, and so they report crimes more.”

But most of the numbers run contrary to the public perception that crime in California is on the rise--a view that prompted speedy approval of the “three strikes you’re out” legislation. The bill, signed into law earlier this month, increases prison time for felons--most dramatically for those with repeat convictions.

Peter Greenwood, acting director of the RAND Corp.’s criminal justice program, said it is not surprising that crime is declining, even though “the fact contradicts the national hysteria that we’re in the midst of a crime wave.”

Crime rates have been falling nationwide, with California lagging somewhat behind the trend, Greenwood said. “The population is getting older, and that means crime goes down.” But he also wondered whether the figures on reported crime reflect the difficulty in reporting less serious crimes to understaffed police departments.

Orange County Dist. Atty. Michael R. Capizzi said he would “like to think it reflects the hard work and efforts of Orange County law enforcement and the district attorney’s office. Hopefully, it is an effect of vigorous enforcement.”

The figures released Tuesday are from the 63-largest law enforcement jurisdictions in the state--all of them representing populations of 100,000 or more. These agencies typically account for 65% of all reported crimes in the state.

Of all the Orange County statistics included in the report, the most dramatic was a 53.5% drop in reported arsons by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

Dan Young, spokesman for the County Fire Department, which is responsible for investigating arsons, said: “This Fire Department has experienced a dramatic drop in fires since November of last year, based on the high profile of the firestorms. People became very safety-conscious, maybe because they were still wound up about it. I wish it would stay that way.”

Decreasing Crime Crime declined last year in five of Orange County’s seven largest cities, with the biggest percentage decrease taking place in Irvine. The California Crime Index is the total reported violent crime (homicide, rape, robbery, assault) and property crime (burglary and car theft).

Crime Violent Property Index Crime Crime Jurisdiction 1992 1993 % change 1992 1993 1992 Anaheim 9,185 9,499 +3.4 1,748 1,950 7,437 Fullerton 3,630 3,299 -9.1 675 623 2,955 Garden Grove 4,874 4,475 -8.2 997 917 3,877 Huntington 3,963 4,278 +7.9 861 876 3,102 Beach Irvine 1,819 1,581 -13.1 146 141 1,673 Orange 3,050 2,982 -2.2 532 556 2,518 Santa Ana 11,222 10,098 -10.0 3,230 3,190 7,992 Los 214,671 193,698 -9.8 88,919 83,702 125,752 Angeles Orange 2,288 2,439 +6.6 554 628 1,734 County* L.A. 37,149 33,561 -9.7 18,730 16,211 18,419 County*

Jurisdiction 1993 Anaheim 7,549 Fullerton 2,676 Garden Grove 3,558 Huntington 3,402 Beach Irvine 1,440 Orange 2,426 Santa Ana 6,908 Los 109,996 Angeles Orange 1,811 County* L.A. 17,350 County*

*Unincorporated areas Source: California Department of Justice