THE TIMES POLL : More in O.C. Now Rate Crime as No. 1 Concern : Residents feel more secure in communities than in 1992. But they want more police, laws to make streets safer.

Local crime rates have been falling for almost a decade and people say they generally feel safe, but a new Los Angeles Times poll shows that more Orange County residents today than two years ago rank crime as the most important problem facing the county.

The survey found that a 56% majority now believe that crime, gangs, drugs, graffiti or inadequate police service are paramount issues for the county, and residents want more police, as well as tougher laws, to make the streets safer.

Reflecting a general pattern detected across the state and nation, crime has surged as an issue in Orange County since 1992, despite a relatively low level of crime compared to other metropolitan areas of California.

Crime was mentioned as the public’s biggest worry more often in this year’s poll than in two previous Orange County surveys by The Times in April, 1992, and August, 1993.

Crime topped the list of concerns even though the poll found that 83% of county residents generally feel secure in their communities, and 92% feel safe in their own homes.

“It doesn’t surprise me, based on what is happening: the growth of gangs, the growth in violent crime and the trends across the rest of the country,” said Santa Ana Police Chief Paul M. Walters, president of the Orange County Chiefs and Sheriff’s Assn. “Every police chief can tell you they are hearing about the same things in their communities.”

The Times Poll, under the supervision of John Brennan, interviewed 1,188 Orange County adults by telephone on Aug. 6 and 7. The margin of sampling error for the full sample is plus or minus 3 percentage points. For certain subgroups, the margin of error might be somewhat higher.

In this year’s survey, residents mentioned crime far more than two other well-publicized issues: the economy and illegal immigration. Only 10% picked an economic issue as a major concern, while 4% put immigration at the top of the list.

“The amount of crime in my neighborhood is definitely increasing,” said Mark Gleason, 37, a computer software salesman from Santa Ana who participated in The Times poll. “There are more break-ins, more vandalism and more graffiti. The most disturbing thing is the unprecedented rise in gang activity. Juvenile crime is a real growth area here.”

The poll shows that concern about crime appears to be broad-based, but it tends to be higher in north Orange County and in neighborhoods where minorities predominate. Yet, even in mostly white communities, crime tops the list of concerns as it does among upper-income families.

Latinos and those living in nonwhite neighborhoods are particularly inclined to cite gangs as an issue, while lower-income households specifically cite gangs and drugs.

Survey findings about the public’s growing concern about crime contrasted against the overwhelming sense of safety suggest that local opinion follows a pattern also seen nationally: Concern about crime develops not so much from personal experience as from a media-driven sense that crime is on the rise virtually everywhere.

“I don’t have any doubt the media plays a role. The media highlight and play up criminal and violent activities,” said Gerald C. Davison, interim dean of the Annenberg School for Communication at USC. “People doing good--what you’d call human interest--occupies second place.”

To some extent, the sensational murders, gang shootings and freeway chases served up to the viewing and reading public give the community a distorted picture of how widespread crime is, Davison said.

The FBI Crime Index, an indicator of criminal activity both locally and nationally, actually shows that reported crimes per 100,000 residents, has been dropping in Orange County since 1986, when the index peaked at 6,059. The latest FBI index is around 5,600.

The FBI calculates the index from reported homicides, rapes, robberies, aggravated assaults, burglaries, auto thefts, larcenies and arsons--crimes that members of the public are most likely to report to the police.

The disturbing thing is that over the last decade, homicides in the county have more than doubled, many of them blamed on burgeoning gang activity. Overall, the violent crime rate has increased more than 60% over the same period. A large portion of that upswing, however, is due to a change in state law in 1986 requiring that domestic assaults, which had not been viewed as felonies before that time, be added to the aggravated assault category of the FBI index.

Crime rates also vary widely across Orange County. Irvine has had the lowest crime rate locally, according to the FBI Crime Index, while rates in Fullerton, Santa Ana and Garden Grove have been among the highest. Of the five most populous counties in the state, Orange County’s crime rate is the lowest, except for Santa Clara County’s.

“We get the local paper, and there are constantly police reports about some crime or something being stolen,” said Mary Lou Johnson, 37, of San Clemente, who was questioned for the survey. “Maybe crime overall is not going up, but the viciousness and brutality of the crime certainly has.”

The poll shows that only 27% of county residents say crime is now worse in their own community than it was a year ago. Far more--45%--think crime across Orange County has risen since last year. And while 83% feel safe in their own areas, a slimmer majority--64%--think county recreational sites, such as parks and beaches, are generally safe.

Also, while concern about crime has risen, the 92% who say they feel safe in their own home represent a slight increase since 1992 when the number was 85%.

In addition to feeling secure in their communities, the number of county residents who say they are generally satisfied with their communities is actually somewhat higher today--84%--at least 5 percentage points higher than it was in the Times’ 1992 and 1993 surveys.

Perceptions of community safety, however, vary demographically. Latinos, lower-income people, those in nonwhite neighborhoods and North County residents express a higher level of anxiety.

Community type is a stronger predictor of community satisfaction than race or income. For example, 81% of Latinos and 84% from low-income households report being satisfied with their communities. But only 59% of those living in mostly minority neighborhoods (regardless of their own race) voice the same view.

About nine in 10 of those in white-dominated areas feel safe from crime in their communities; just 64% in mostly minority neighborhoods feel as secure.

The poll shows that Orange County residents agree with their counterparts in Los Angeles County that crime is a top community problem. But far fewer Los Angeles County residents--only 67%--say they feel safe in their neighborhoods.

The survey found that 12% of residents have been the victim of a crime in the last 12 months, with another 5% saying that someone else in their household has been a crime victim. Nationwide in January, 10% were victims themselves and another 4% said that someone in their household had been a victim.

Of those who said they were victims or had a victim in the household, 30% reported that their cars had been vandalized or broken into, 21% had their homes burglarized, 12% had cars stolen and 9% lost money in a theft. One in 10 said they had been assaulted, and another 8% said they had been robbed.

Of those surveyed, the elderly were the least likely to say they had been victimized--only 8%. Those under the age of 30 were the most likely to have been a crime victim, at 22%.

The survey found that reported victimization is almost the same among whites, Latinos, men and women, upper and lower income people, North and South County residents, and in white and nonwhite neighborhoods.

To reduce crime, a 35% plurality, which cut across racial, economic and political lines, said they thought more police were necessary, and 27% wanted criminal justice reforms such as tougher laws or longer sentences.

One in three called for social and economic solutions, such as youth programs, 8%; better educational opportunities, 6%; more community involvement, 6%; increased parental responsibility, 5%; and more jobs for the poor, 3%.

“I have always been a believer in police visibility and would like to see an increase in foot patrols and community policing,” said Stuart R. Essery, 47, of Fountain Valley, president of a real estate management company. “I have also been concerned about gun control. I think the proliferation of handguns has a lot to do with the violence. We can’t turn a blind eye to it.”

Judy Cumar, a 46-year-old nurse from Anaheim, told The Times poll that the breakdown of the family was largely responsible for the proliferation of crime today. She doubted whether more police or jails would help the situation that much.

“We need to work on values and family life to prevent crime. Let’s quit pouring money into prisons,” Cumar said. “Improving education and communication can change our mind-set, but the disciplines, like education, we don’t pay much attention to as a society.”

Some of the solutions desired by the public, such as more police, longer sentences, and social programs are contained in President Clinton’s $30-billion crime package, which was passed by the Senate Thursday night. The embattled legislation, stalled by partisan sparing, is the first major crime bill to come out of Washington in six years.

Orange County’s congressional delegation unanimously opposed the measure. The congressmen say they want the same get-tough provisions their constituents do, except the Democrats attached too many strings to the measure as well as expensive pork barrel items unrelated to crime. Tougher, alternative measures were proposed by the Republicans, they say, but the Democrats gutted them.

“Its a social-welfare spending and federal-controls bill,” said Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach). “First the President’s figure for police was 100,000 officers. It is really 20,000, and those are temporary. The Clinton approach is to control every cent that’s sent back. You can hire more police, but only those approved by Washington.”

Rep. Christopher Cox (R-Newport Beach) said the measure contains about $7 billion in expenditures unrelated to crime, including a resurrected $1.8-billion jobs program lifted out of the President’s economic stimulus package. He also said that local cities probably will not be able to afford the matching funds for salaries and benefits needed to participate in the federal effort to hire more police.

“By far, it’s the highest-cost way of achieving the objective,” Cox said.

Among the tougher laws favored in Orange County is the so-called “three strikes and you’re out” law, which now requires offenders with two prior convictions for serious or violent felonies to receive 25-year-to-life prison sentences upon their third felony conviction. The measure is immensely popular in Orange County--almost four out of five support the legislation, and among those 54% support it strongly. Fewer than one in five oppose the idea.

Backing for “three strikes” crosses both racial and political lines, appealing to 78% of whites, 82% of Latinos, 77% of Democrats and 84% of Republicans. Support for the measure is slightly greater in Orange County than in the rest of the state.

The poll shows that 72% of Orange County residents favor a proposed “first strike and you’re out” law requiring that those convicted of rape or child molestation for the first time be sent to prison for 25 years to life. The bill is pending in the state Legislature. Again the measure has wide appeal across racial, economic and political lines.

Susan Pinkus, Times Poll assistant director, contributed to this report.

Crime the No. 1 Concern in O.C.

While the vast majority of people in Orange County feel secure in their communities, they still consider crime to be the county’s most important problem. The county’s criminal justice system is sound, they say, but more police and tougher laws are needed to meet the crime problem head on. Orange County also strongly supports legislation to send repeat felons to prison for life and a proposed law to give life sentences to first-time rapists and child molesters. (For those responses grouped by neighborhood type, white means a mostly white neighborhood, minority means mostly minority, and mix an evenly mixed neighborhood.)

What’s the most important problem facing your community today? Is there another problem which is almost as important (up to two replies accepted)?

Neighborhood type North Whites Latinos White Minority Mixed County Crime, gangs, etc. 59% 55% 49% 76% 63% 64% Social problems 37% 24% 38% 28% 28% 31% Economic issues 12% 4% 11% 10% 7% 10% Government issues 7% 2% 7% 2% 4% 5% Other 8% 10% 10% 6% 6% 7% No problems 5% 8% 7% 4% 7% 6% Don’t know 5% 13% 8% 2% 9% 6%

South County All Crime, gangs, etc. 38% 56% Social problems 41% 34% Economic issues 8% 10% Government issues 8% 6% Other 12% 8% No problems 8% 7% Don’t know 10% 7%

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Is there more crime in Orange County now than there was a year ago, or less, or about the same amount?

Neighborhood type North South Whites Latinos White Minority Mixed County County All More crime 45% 47% 44% 44% 46% 44% 46% 45% Less crime 4% 7% 4% 6% 5% 5% 3% 4% Same 39% 34% 38% 43% 36% 40% 34% 38% Don’t know 12% 12% 14% 7% 13% 11% 17% 13%

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Is there more crime in your community now than there was a year ago, or less, or about the same amount?

Neighborhood type North South Whites Latinos White Minority Mixed County County All More crime 28% 30% 26% 30% 30% 27% 29% 27% Less crime 6% 10% 5% 8% 9% 7% 5% 7% Same 57% 51% 60% 57% 53% 57% 58% 57% Don’t know 9% 9% 9% 5% 8% 9% 8% 9%

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When it comes to the threat of crime, how safe do you feel in your community?

Neighborhood type North South Whites Latinos White Minority Mixed County County All Safe 86% 73% 91% 64% 75% 78% 94% 83% Unsafe 14% 26% 9% 36% 24% 21% 6% 17% Don’t know - 1% - - 1% 1% - -

Note: (-) indicates less than 0.5%

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How Orange County compares to Los Angeles County and the rest of the nation with regard to the threat of crime in the community:

Orange County Orange County Los Angeles County Nation (Today) (4/92) (6/94) (1/94) Safe 83% 81% 67% 83% Unsafe 17% 19% 33% 17% Don’t know - - - -

Note: (-) indicates less than .5%

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When it comes to the threat of crime, how safe do you feel in your home?

Neighborhood type North South Whites Latinos White Minority Mixed County County All Safe 93% 87% 95% 88% 85% 89% 97% 92% Unsafe 7% 13% 5% 12% 15% 11% 3% 8%

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What is the one thing you think should be done in order to help reduce crime in Orange County? Is there something else that is almost as important for reducing crime? (Up to two replies accepted; shown are net responses in each category.)

Neighborhood type North Whites Latinos White Minority Mixed County Better and more police 33% 46% 35% 35% 34% 37% Socioeconomic programs 29% 39% 37% 21% 32% 32% Improved criminal 29% 22% 27% 29% 27% 27% justice system Crackdown on crime 14% 10% 12% 17% 12% 13% Drug control 5% 1% 4% 3% 5% 5% Gun control 4% 4% 4% 4% 4% 3% Other 9% 2% 7% 5% 6% 6% Nothing in particular 3% 1% 2% 8% 2% 3% Don’t know 7% 9% 7% 4% 10% 7%

South County All Better and more police 31% 35% Socioeconomic programs 35% 33% Improved criminal 28% 27% justice system Crackdown on crime 11% 13% Drug control 4% 4% Gun control 5% 4% Other 7% 6% Nothing in particular 3% 3% Don’t know 9% 8%

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As you may know, there is a new California crime law commonly known as the “three strikes and you’re out” law. The law provides that anyone with two serious felony convictions on their record who is convicted of any third felony must be given a prison sentence of at least 25 years to life imprisonment. Do you favor or oppose the “three strikes and you’re out” law?

Neighborhood type North South Whites Latinos White Minority Mixed County County Favor 78% 78% 82% 78% 78% 79% 80% 73% Oppose 18% 18% 15% 18% 20% 16% 17% 20% Don’t know 4% 4% 3% 4% 2% 5% 3% 7%

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How Orange County compares to the rest of the state:

Orange County State* (today) (3/94) Favor 78% 73% Oppose 18% 22% Don’t know 4% 5%

* Question in the March, 1994, survey was worded slightly differently

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Some people have proposed a “first strike and you’re out” law that would require first-time convicted rapists or child molesters to be sentenced to a term of 25 years to life imprisonment. Do you favor or oppose the passage of this type of law in California?

Neighborhood type North South Whites Latinos White Minority Mixed County County Favor 69% 83% 67% 80% 79% 71% 74% Oppose 29% 15% 30% 17% 20% 26% 24% Don’t know 2% 2% 3% 3% 1% 3% 2%

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How Orange County compares to the rest of the state:

Orange County State* (today) (3/94) Favor 72% 62% Oppose 25% 33% Don’t know 3% 5%

* Question in the March, 1994, survey included the phrase “. . . to be sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole” instead of “. . . to be sentenced to a term of 25 years to life imprisonment”

Source: Los Angeles Times Polls