County Sees Decrease in Crime in ’94 : Statistics: But homicide, rape figures are unchanged in sheriff-patrolled areas. Violent crime up sharply in Anaheim.

Car thefts and burglaries decreased last year in areas patrolled by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, but violent crime rose dramatically in Anaheim, according to state crime figures released Wednesday.

The figures from the state attorney general’s office compare the first nine months of 1994 with those in 1993. Statewide, they show that the crime rate fell almost 7%, including a 13% drop in murders. The overall reduction is expected to mark the third straight year that the crime rate will decline and the first time since 1988 that the homicide level will fall, the state Department of Justice reported.

In Orange County, sheriff-patrolled areas showed decreases in most categories, especially in burglaries, which were down 11%, and car thefts, down nearly 19% from the same time a year ago. Sheriff’s Lt. Dan Martini attributed the drop to a regional car theft task force, increased community education and more patrols.

“In our contract cities we try to concentrate on those areas,” Martini said. “For example, in Dana Point, we had a problem with vehicle thefts in the harbor area and we did a specialized patrols program there.”

Although the sheriff’s property crime figures dropped dramatically, the same was not true for violent crime. Homicides and rape in the county remained at the same level, mirroring the mounting anxiety among Orange County residents that was expressed in a recent poll.

That poll, conducted by UC Irvine professor Mark Baldassare for the university’s School of Social Ecology and released last month, showed that two-thirds of county residents said crime was their No. 1 worry.

Anaheim police reported sharp increases in aggravated assault, robberies and rape, the report said.

Anaheim Police Chief Randall Gaston said that with a population greater than 266,000, “we’re one of the two largest cities in Orange County,” with attendant big-city crime problems.

He said residents “have to look at per capita rates in terms of violent crime, because then it’s very low.”

Gaston said police have had to contend with gang violence, which affects the number of assaults and other violent crime statistics. In addition, domestic violence in general has increased, and new laws mandating greater officer involvement have resulted in increased numbers of crime reports.

“For example, when we respond to a case of domestic violence, we now have to report it,” Gaston said. “And, in some cases we’re accepting a citizen’s arrest complaint, which used to be only optional.”

But the problem of law enforcement in big cities, Gaston said, is that violent crimes are nearly impossible to prevent. With burglaries, a solution may be more patrols and officers.

“We seem to be seeing more people using lethal weapons, and in most cases, homicides and assaults involve people who know each other,” Gaston said. “It’s not the type of crime you prevent by having a patrol car drive by.”

In a speech in Sacramento, Atty. Gen. Dan Lungren said more must be done to speed up the death penalty appeals process, clamp down on prisoners who file frivolous lawsuits and reverse today’s “culture of violence.”

The statewide compilation showed overall crime was down 6.7%. That included decreases in homicides, by 13%; rape, 5.5%; robbery, 12.4%; aggravated assault, 0.7%; burglary, 7.4%, and auto theft, 6.5%. There were 2,046 homicides in the first nine months of 1993, compared to 1,781 in 1994.

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Crime in Decline

Crimes that make up the California Crime Index dropped in some of Orange County’s largest cities during the first nine months of the year, mirroring what took place statewide. The index is made up of four violent crimes--homicide, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault--and two property crimes, burglary and motor vehicle theft. Here are the changes:

Jurisdiction 1993 1994 % change CRIME INDEX Anaheim 6,999 6,915 -1.2 Costa Mesa 2,040 1,840 -9.8 Irvine 1,169 1,142 -2.3 Orange 2,204 2,144 -2.7 Santa Ana 7,751 6,909 -10.9 Statewide 463,846 432,538 -6.7 VIOLENT CRIME 1993 1994 % change Anaheim 1,474 1,950 +32.3 Costa Mesa 343 323 -5.8 Irvine 103 123 +19.4 Orange 410 460 +12.2 Santa Ana 2,379 2,329 -2.1 Statewide 159,068 150,293 -5.5 PROPERTY CRIME 1993 1994 % change Anaheim 5,525 4,965 -10.1 Costa Mesa 1,697 1,517 -10.6 Irvine 1,066 1,019 -4.4 Orange 1,794 1,684 -6.1 Santa Ana 5,372 4,580 -14.7 Statewide 304,778 282,292 -7.4

Source: California Department of Justice