Crime rate rose slightly in Glendale last year

For the first time in four years, the overall crime rate increased slightly in Glendale last year, with a spike in the number of property offenses.

While violent crimes — which includes homicides, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults — remained low last year, property crimes jumped, which pushed up the overall crime rate by 3% from 2012.

Increases in the number of break-ins, auto burglaries and petty thefts drove up property crimes by 5%, according to the Glendale Police Department’s 2013 crime statistics, which were released Tuesday.

Petty thefts jumped 10% from 2012, while auto thefts increased by 3.9% and burglaries rose 9%

The category also saw decreases in the number of reported arsons as well as auto and grand thefts.

Violent crime dropped 22% from 2012 even though, last year, the city had its the first homicide since 2009.

The Police Department also recorded a slight increase in the number of reported rapes. Last year, eight rapes were reported, which was up by two from 2012.

Police saw a 30.5% decrease in robberies and a 17.6% drop in the number of reported aggravated assaults.

Part II offenses, such as fraud, sex offenses, vandalism and drug and weapons violations, dropped by 1.3%.

-- Veronica Rocha, veronica.rocha@latimes.com

Follow on Google+ and on Twitter: @VeronicaRochaLA

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