By Jonathan Friedman
Staff Writer
Although it has not been made official yet, crime is up in Santa Monica by about 18 percent, compared to this time last year, largely due to tough economic times, Police Chief Tim Jackman told the Lookout News this week.
Jackman said nearly all the crime rise can be attributed to an upswing in property crime, specifically shoplifting, people breaking into vehicles and the stealing of bicycles. A large number of these incidents take place on and around the Third Street Promenade.
“We’re arresting a lot of people, but there’s still a lot of it going on,” Jackman said.
Meanwhile violent crimes such as murder, rape and robbery are down. Jackman said he was surprised by the drop because usually in a sour economy those types of crimes increase.
Jackman’s information comes two days after the FBI released its 2008 crime statistics, which showed a decrease from the previous year in the number of crimes committed in Santa Monica . But since the economic downturn did not begin until later in 2008, the rise in crime was not fully reflected until this year.
Bicycle thefts, Jackman said, are mostly part of organized rings. Santa Monica is an attractive area for these criminals because it has a high per capita usage of bicycles. Bolt cutters are used to break the locks on bicycles.
“You should leave your bike where there are a lot of people, areas where those with bolt cutters will immediately be viewed with suspicion,” said Jackman, who added that the Police Department frequently get calls from people suspicious about others in areas where bicycles are located.
The police chief said preventing items from being stolen from your car can be easily prevented by simply not leaving items visible.
“Don’t leave expensive electronic pieces in your car,” Jackman said. “You can put it in your trunk or take it with you. Most of these items are small and can go with you.”
The 2009 statistics are now only unofficial, and will not be made formal until next year. On Monday, the FBI released the official numbers from 2008, which come from the Santa Monica Police Department.
The number of serious crimes committed in Santa Monica was 3,440, down from 3,704 in 2007. Serious crimes are defined by the FBI as homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, motor vehicle theft, larceny and arson.
The 2008 totals for reported serious crimes in Santa Monica were down in nearly every category, with the exception being homicide (up from two to four) and larceny (up from 2,099 to 2,104).
The numbers released were for reported crimes.
The downward trend, which has been going on since serious crime in Santa Monica reached an all-time high of 10,891 incidents in 1993, includes a decrease in violent crimes – murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault – from 596 to 536.
Property crimes – burglary, motor vehicle theft, larceny and arson -- were down to 2,904, more than 200 incidents fewer than in 2007.
The largest decrease, percentage-wise, came with arson, with the number of reported incidents sliced by more than half. Five incidents were reported in 2008, compared with 13 in 2007. The number of rapes also showed a significant decrease, down from 30 to 21. There was another major decline in the number of motor vehicle thefts, down from 327 to 243.
The smallest decrease was in the number of robberies, which fell from 236 to 218. Aggravated assaults were down from 328 to 293.
