Violent Crimes Drop in Valley, Police Report : Public safety: Homicides are down, but nonviolent offenses jump because of a rash of car phone and auto thefts.

Reports of violent crimes in the San Fernando Valley decreased by more than 8% in the first three months of 1995, but the number of nonviolent crimes rose, according to police statistics released Thursday.

Police said a rash of car phone and auto thefts caused reported nonviolent crimes to rise. But there were 230 fewer violent crimes than in the same three-month period a year earlier.

“Our community wants to be crime-free,” said Deputy Chief Martin Pomeroy, commander of the department’s Valley Bureau. “But I think that most of us would admit there is a difference in the theft of a telephone and a homicide.”

Homicides dropped 28.6% in the Valley, and 9% citywide, in the first three months of 1995 compared to the same months in 1994. Citywide, violent crime dropped 10.7%, but in the Valley the decrease was only 8.6%. Overall, reported crimes dropped 2.5% citywide, while increasing 4.9% in the Valley.

That’s because “the Valley led the way in the reduction of crime over the last five years,” Pomeroy said, and the rest of the city is now catching up.

Pomeroy said he was especially heartened by the drop in violent crimes compared to the first quarter of last year, because that was already a low-crime quarter due to the heavy police presence in the streets after the Northridge earthquake.

Station commanders attribute much of the drop in violent crimes to new foot patrols in high-crime areas, a tactic they say has become possible with increased overtime funds provided as part of Mayor Richard Riordan’s anti-crime efforts.

“As an old foot-beat cop from Downtown L.A., I really believe that may be one of the best approaches,” said Capt. Robert McNamara of the North Hollywood Division, which saw a 12.6% drop in reported violent crimes and a 5.6% decline in overall reported crime.

The West Valley Division saw violent crimes take a dramatic nosedive over the past three months--down 24.7%.

Overall, reported crime rose 12.1% in the West Valley, but Capt. Val Paniccia said that was mainly due to car phone thefts, which caused a 41% increase in burglaries from cars.

The Van Nuys Division also experienced an 8.1% drop in violent crime, and a 4.3% dip in overall reported crime. The Devonshire Division, which covers the northwest Valley, saw a hike in overall reported crime of 20.1%, due partly to car telephone thefts, police said. Statistics also show an 11.6% increase in robberies and a 7.4% rise in burglaries, as well as an 18.3% increase in auto thefts.

But violent crimes in Devonshire dropped 1.7%.

Only the Foothill Division in the northeast Valley saw a rise in the number of reported violent and overall crimes. Violent crimes increased 4.5%, total reported crimes were up 7.1%.

Capt. Ron Bergman blamed an increase in gang activity. “There’s been some talk on the street that maybe the gang truce is falling apart,” he said.