Santa Clarita Officials Doubt Crime Is on Rise

Crime statistics pointing to Santa Clarita as the only city in north Los Angeles County with an increase in serious crimes could reflect a fluke in numbers, city officials said Monday.

An unusually high number of crimes were reported in the city in January, some of which, city officials said, may be attributed to sprees by one or two individuals. Since the city generally has a low crime rate, any increase in the number of incidents can quickly skew the statistics, they said.

Although the nation continued a five-year decline in crime, FBI statistics released Sunday reported a 6.8% increase in Santa Clarita in violent and property crimes during the first six months of this year, compared with the same period last year.

Nationwide, crimes declined an average of 5%, with even greater drops in Los Angeles, Burbank, Glendale, Lancaster and Palmdale.

Capt. Donald Rodriquez, head of the Santa Clarita Sheriff’s Station, attributed the Santa Clarita increase in part to an unprecedented high number of burglaries, aggravated assaults and larceny in the first quarter of the year.

Burglaries and thefts increased markedly in Santa Clarita in January, but the trend ceased after the arrests of two suspects, sheriff’s deputies said.

Sheriff’s deputies report that the latest crime statistics for the period from January through September indicate total serious incidents increased less than .18%--only four more incidents than were reported in the same period last year.

Traditionally, Santa Clarita is ranked among the safest cities in the nation by the FBI, and is currently fourth among big cities with the lowest crime rates. Even with an increase in crime, the city reported a total of 1,439 serious crimes in January through June, compared with 2,924 in Lancaster and 2,599 in Palmdale, both with smaller populations.