San Gabriel Valley : FBI Figures Show Murder on Rise in El Monte

Although FBI statistics report a 2% decrease in overall violent crime in El Monte for the first six months of this year, the city’s murder rate “went through the roof,” said Assistant Police Chief Bill Ankeny.

Thirty people have been murdered in El Monte so far this year, compared with 16 reported homicides in 1994, according to city police records.

“Homicide is not something you can patrol for,” Ankeny said. “You just never know when a husband is going to go off the deep end and murder his wife or vice versa. Only a small percent [less than 4%] of the murders were gang-related.”

The execution of five people--including a 6-month-old baby--at a house last April added to the murder increase, Ankeny said. Four men were arrested in connection with those slayings, authorities said.

While murder was on the rise, nonviolent crimes were down, the figures show. Much of the reduction can be attributed to the purchase of a patrol helicopter this year and the hiring of 15 new officers over the last two years, Ankeny said.