Crime Rise Is Steeper in O.C.’s Biggest Cities Than Rest of State

Crime rose last year in Orange County’s largest cities at higher rates than in the rest of the state, with some communities seeing double-digit jumps in offenses such as robbery and auto theft.

Until now, Orange County had been largely immune to the increases in crime that other urban areas--notably Los Angeles--have seen in the past two years. But this year, the county’s nine largest police agencies averaged an 8.1% increase in total crime, compared with 5.8% for the rest of the state, according to data released Monday by the state attorney general’s office.

The state’s report found little to explain the trend. Santa Ana, for example, saw a 20% jump in property crimes, while violent crime remained steady. Nearly 500 more cars were stolen in the city last year than in 2000.

In Costa Mesa, violent crime jumped 41.8%, led by a doubling in robberies, which police said was largely the work of one group.

“That inconsistency is consistent with what we found throughout the state,” said Nathan Barankin, spokesman for the attorney general’s office. “There is no single pattern when you compare jurisdictions.”

Barankin said the slowing economy probably played some role in the overall increase--especially with property crimes such as auto theft. “When people lose their jobs, it can have that effect,” he said.

In addition to Costa Mesa and Santa Ana, Anaheim and Fullerton recorded double-digit crime jumps--13% and 11.2%, respectively.

Orange and Irvine showed smaller increases, while crime in Garden Grove and Huntington Beach remained relatively flat. The Sheriff’s Department saw a 22% decline in some of the unincorporated area it covers.

Despite the latest findings, crime in Orange County is significantly lower than in the early 1990s.

The county had nearly 200 homicides in 1993. In 2000, it recorded less than 60 homicides.

“It’s still low compared to [the early 1990s], when it was sky high,” said Anaheim Sgt. Mike Hidalgo. “It’s like the real estate market, when it reaches a peak and [has] to come down.”

In the face of rising crime, Santa Ana last year began several new crackdowns. The city created a special task force to deal with auto thefts and another unit to take on repeat criminals.

“We’ve been preparing in the event that this would occur,” said Sgt. Baltazar De La Riva. “We just don’t know whether this is something temporary or a long-term problem.”

Some officials said the numbers can be misleading.

Robberies in Costa Mesa more than doubled last year from 72 to 155. But Police Chief David L. Snowden said most of the additional robberies were committed by one group whose members have since been arrested.

“We geared up and solved the problem. Those people are in jail now. I’m not worried about that anymore,” he said. “It doesn’t take much to set off a crime wave.”

Police departments said they are analyzing the data, but officials said they already have some ideas about the root causes of the increase.

“The economy tanked in 2001. Every time that happens, we have problems with crime. That’s a national issue,” said Garden Grove Police Chief Joe Polisar. “We also had an enormous [number] of people incarcerated during the 1990s, and a significant [number] of them are being released now.”

After a decade of plummeting crime, Polisar said, a reversal was bound to happen.

“You can only go down [so much]. At some point, it’s got to come up,” he said. “It looks like we may have hit bottom.”

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Times staff writer Brady MacDonald contributed to this report.

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Mostly Up, Some Down

Costa Mesa, Santa Ana, Anaheim and Fullerton showed double-digit increases in total crime from 2000 to 2001, according to a state report released Monday. The percentage change in crime figures for Orange County’s nine largest law enforcement jurisdictions:

Total Violent Crime Property Crime

Anaheim 13.00% -6.90% 14.70%

Costa Mesa 16.20% 41.80% 12.50%

Fullerton 11.20% 18.30% 12.50%

Garden Grove 0.70% 10.10% 4.80%

Huntington Beach -0.30% -9.30% 6.80%

Irvine 5.30% -39.80% 13.80%

Orange 9.50% 5.40% -2.50%

Santa Ana 14.60% 0.80% 20.00%

Unincorporated -22.20% -12.50% -16.60%

Source: State Department of Justice