Crime report indicates rise in thefts, drug use
Glendale police believe a rise in theft and drug-related crimes in the first nine months of this year can be attributed to the passage of Propisition 47.
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Thefts and drug-related crimes in Glendale increased during the first nine months of this year when compared to the same period last year, which police officials attributed to changes in legislation that have reduced penalties for certain crimes.
Through September, Glendale police logged 1,044 drug-related crimes, up from 700 during the same period last year, according to statistics presented at a Glendale City Council meeting last week.
“We’re seeing more and more individuals in possession of narcotics because there really isn’t a big deterrent,” said Glendale Police Chief Robert Castro, adding that under Proposition 47, certain crimes that were previously felonies, including drug possession and thefts of items less than $950, are now prosecuted as misdemeanors. “They’re going to be charged with a misdemeanor. They’re going to be released on a citation to appear in court later.”
Thefts and burglaries from cars jumped 15% from 468 through September of last year to 536 during the same period this year, while petty thefts also rose 15% from 1,225 incidents through September of last year to 1,411 through the same period this year.
Police also reported a spike in the number of assaults, which jumped 13% from 421 through September of last year to 476 during the same period this year. According to Castro, most of these cases involve individuals who know each other, while some involve people with mental health issues.
After the new year, the Glendale agency plans to bring a mental health clinician on board to work with officers when responding to mental health calls, Castro said.
Violent crimes, meanwhile, are down almost 3% because of a dip in aggravated assaults, which dropped to 65 through September of this year from 82 during the same period last year.
Homicides, however, are up from last year. Police logged five homicides through September of this year, while none were reported during the same period last year.
While Glendale police made 13% more arrests through September of this year compared to the same period last year, felony arrests dropped 35%, which Castro again attributed to Proposition 47.
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Alene Tchekmedyian, alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com
Twitter: @atchek
