Serious Crime Falls in Southern California During First Half of ‘96, FBI Report Says

Serious crime dropped throughout much of Southern California during the first half of 1996, with several cities posting declines far above the 3% drop reported nationally, according to an FBI report released Saturday.

Pasadena registered the biggest reduction among large cities in the area--27.5%--led by significant drops in robberies, burglaries and motor vehicle thefts.

Serious crime fell 24% in Simi Valley; 22% in Santa Clarita; 20% in Riverside; 14% in Long Beach and San Bernardino; 12% in El Monte; and 10% in Inglewood.

Los Angeles had a 9% drop; Pomona and Torrance, 8%; West Covina, 5%; Norwalk, 4.5%; Glendale, 4%; Lancaster, 2%; Burbank and Thousand Oaks, 1%; and Palmdale, less than 1%, according to the FBI report.

The rankings are based on a ratio of city population to crime reported in eight categories--murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, theft, auto theft and arson.

“There are a lot of factors that go into whether crime goes up or down,” said Pasadena Police Chief Barney Melekian.

Melekian attributed some of Pasadena’s substantial decrease in crime to various youth programs that the Police Department has initiated--and, in some cases, coordinated with schools.

In most of the programs, police officers or successful adults mentor at-risk youths.

“Some have been in place for two to three years, and we’re starting to see the fruits of this work,” he said.

“I’m not talking about hundreds of kids in any one program, but it has a kind of cumulative effect.”

Authorities in Simi Valley downplayed the importance of midyear figures because they measure such a short period of time.

“We aren’t doing anything different manpower-wise than we had been doing,” said Sgt. Bob Gardner, a Simi Valley police spokesman.

“You need to look at it over a considerable time to know how meaningful the statistics really are and whether the trends are long-term.”

In Los Angeles, the declining crime rate has emerged as an issue in Police Chief Willie L. Williams’ campaign to win a second five-year term.

Some experts, however, have said that the national decline in crime is the result of a relatively small number of teenagers and young adults in the nation today. They warn that crime may begin to rise as today’s children begin reaching their crime-prone years, roughly 18 to 26.

“I’m sure it’s a factor, but I don’t think it’s as significant as some people would play it up to be,” Long Beach Police Chief Robert Luman said of the demographic trend.

Referring to his own city’s crime decrease, he said: “I don’t think there’s been a swing of 14% in any age group.”

Luman credits the significant drop in reported serious crime in Long Beach to “the community policing effort and the spirit of partnership we’ve developed in the community.” He also noted that the City Council and city manager provided additional funds and officers.

“We did a strategic plan about four years ago and one of the cornerstones of that was to get into the community policing mode and make the citizens out there more comfortable in their contacts with the police department,” Luman said.

Nationally, violent crime fell 5%, the FBI said, and property crimes decreased 2%.

“This is the fifth year in a row that figures for the first six months of the year show a decline in serious crime, the longest period of declining crime rates since 1969,” said Atty. Gen. Janet Reno.

Among violent crimes measured nationally, murder decreased 7%, robbery and aggravated assault, 5%, and forcible rape, 1%. In the property crime category, burglary was down 5%, motor vehicle theft, 4%, and larceny-theft, 1%. Arson was the only offense to show an increase, 2%.

Cities with populations of more than 1 million recorded the greatest decline in serious crime--6% for the six-month period.

Serious crime declined in three out of four regions of the nation, led by an 8% drop in the West. In the South, a 3% increase in serious crimes was reported.

Times staff writer Daryl Kelley contributed to this report