City crime rate news is mixed
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Josh Goldstein
CIVIC CENTER -- While the number of crimes against people stayed about
the same last year compared to 1999, burglary in the city jumped more
than 40%, according to the state attorney general’s crime latest report.
The spike in property crimes is a result of more people reporting
burglaries for insurance reasons, said police, who credit their own
outreach efforts and contact with neighborhood watch groups for the
increase in reporting.
Burbank Police Sgt. Bill Taylor said another reason is that punishment
for property crimes, which generally are misdemeanors, is far less severe
than for crimes against people, which generally are felonies.
“People think they will get into less trouble when taking part in
property crimes as opposed to [crimes against people],” Taylor said.
Crystal Ray, the police department’s records manager, pointed out
misreporting in the state’s document. The 43.4% rise in burglaries does
not accurately reflect the number of property crimes, she said.
Due to errors in classification when officers fill out reports, about
100 of the so-called burglaries should be counted under the larceny-theft
category, which falls outside the property crimes category.
The Burbank Police Department has until March 30 to petition the
attorney general’s office for a correction, she said.
Overall, violent crimes in Burbank remained unchanged or dipped a bit,
Taylor said, who added that the decrease in robberies could be a result
of the effectiveness of the three-strikes law.
The crime statistics, released Tuesday by the office of state Attorney
General Bill Lockyer, compared crime in the state’s more populated cities
from 1999 to 2000, which rose by 3.5%, with an 6.6% increase in rapes and
an 8.9% rise in car theft.
BURBANK POLICE DEPARTMENT
BY THE NUMBERS
TOTAL CRIMES
***1999
FBI Crime index total: 2,821
Violent crimes total: 311
Property crimes total: 910
Larceny-theft total: 1,592
Arson total: 8
***2000
FBI Crime index total: 3,204
Violent crimes total: 297
Property crimes total: 1,072
Larceny-theft total: 1,832
Arson total: 3
Change
FBI Crime index total: 13.6%
Violent crimes total: -4.5%
Property crimes total: 17.8%
Larceny-theft total: 15.1%
Arson total: -62.5%
VIOLENT CRIMES
***1999 Homicide: 2
Forcible rape: 8
Robbery: 95
Aggravated assault: 206
***2000
Homicide: 1 Forcible rape: 8
Robbery: 86
Aggravated assault: 202
***Change
Homicide: -50%
Forcible rape: None
Robbery: -9.5%
Aggravated assault: -1.9%
PROPERTY CRIMES
***1999
Burglary: 362
Car theft: 548
***2000
Burglary: 519
Car theft: 553
***Change
Burglary: 43.4%
Car theft: .9%