Six-Month Report Shows That Crime Is Down in O.C.

Continuing a trend that has cheered police and mayhem-weary residents for several years, crime in Orange County dropped for the first six months of 1998, according to figures from the state attorney general’s office.

But in what officials there call an aberration, assaults in Huntington Beach--which long has prided itself on being one of the safest big cities in the country--rose precipitously.

State Atty. Gen. Dan Lungren’s office released the figures for January-June 1998 on Tuesday for cities of 100,000 or larger.

According to those numbers, Huntington Beach showed a 17% increase in crimes overall compared with the same period in 1997, but that was powered by the leap in aggravated assaults. Those rose from 166 to 415.

Police Lt. Jon Arnold said police don’t know why assaults increased, but that it is an anomaly that should not raise alarm. He speculated it may stem from increased awareness and reporting of domestic violence. Or, he said, it may be due in part to people congregating outdoors in warm weather, drinking too much, getting hot and irritable and getting into fights.

But, he said, “we’re looking at what could be a temporary and minor change. Gee, does that mean crime is increasing because a couple more people get into an argument and start pushing each other? Some of these things you just can’t prevent.”

Mayor Shirley S. Dettloff agreed.

“The summer always brings out a lot of people,” Dettloff said. “We have focused on our downtown area to make sure we don’t have drunks in the street.”

She added, “Every time we have a problem in this town, we focus on it and get it under control. We don’t just wring our hands and hope it goes away.”

Fullerton also showed a crime increase for the first half of the year, with violent crimes going up 14.6% and property crimes rising 23%.

But Fullerton Police Chief Patrick E. McKinley, noting that violent crime dropped 14% the year before, said, “Look at the numbers. I don’t think we have to do anything extraordinary. I think it will correct itself.”

But in general, reported crime decreased in Orange County’s largest cities and in the unincorporated area patrolled by the Sheriff’s Department. This mirrors a nationwide trend that has been going on for several years.

Among the factors law-enforcement officials credit with the decrease are the state’s three-strikes law, designed to get violent felons off the street, and community-oriented policing.

Under the latter program, officers are assigned to specific high-crime areas that they patrol more often on foot than in cars, get to know the residents and work with them to identify the problems and criminals there.

“The community is basically our eyes and ears. We work together to solve the crimes,” Anaheim Police Lt. Steve Walker said.

Anaheim saw a 33% decrease in violent crimes, and a 19.3% decrease in all major crimes.

“It’s not the answer for everything,” Walker said, “but it’s something that’s working for us right now, and we’re going to keep running with it.”