Crime numbers reveal good and bad news

Deepa Bharath

NEWPORT-MESA -- Violent crime is up by about 15% in Costa Mesa but

down by 34% in Newport Beach compared to last year, according to

statistics recently released by the FBI.

The 1999 Uniform Crime Report showed incidents of forcible rape in

Costa Mesa increased from 17 in 1998 to 29 in 1999. Aggravated assaults

were up from 158 to 180 incidents. There were four murders in 1999

compared to one in 1998.

However, the numbers released Sunday showed robberies in Costa Mesa

were down 11% and property crimes decreased by about 15%.

In Newport Beach, aggravated assaults dropped by almost 50%, from 152

to 80 incidents. Property crimes decreased by about 11%.

The increase in violent crime is “not very significant” for Costa

Mesa, assured Costa Mesa police Lt. John FitzPatrick.

“If you look at it, it’s only an increase of two more incidents a

month,” he said. “That is not something to be alarmed about.”

FitzPatrick added that numbers also don’t tell the whole story.

For example, he said, rapes seem to have increased because more people

now report date rapes than they did before.

“Many of these incidents are not about people leering behind bushes,”

FitzPatrick said.

Some incidents, especially the aggravated assaults, are out of the

police department’s control, he said.

“There are barroom brawls and people getting upset at each other. But

most of them, including the murders, have been isolated incidents

concerning specific individuals.”

Another fact to bear in mind, said FitzPatrick, is the city’s changing

demographics.

“A few years ago we had [a lot of] children under 12 years of age,” he

said. “Now they’re becoming teenagers and are entering the age group when

they start committing crimes.”

That is why the city is focusing its resources toward community

policing and educating youth, he added.

In Newport Beach, the crime rate has been on a continuous downward

spiral for the last few years, said Sgt. Mike McDermott.

An increased number of neighborhood watches and efficient community

policing has helped bring down property crimes, he said.

The department also received a $160,000 grant from the federal Bureau

of Justice Assistance that helped put several crime prevention programs

in place, McDermott added.

“We tried to get the community involved in the process,” he said. “And

so far, that seems to work well for us.”

BOX

COSTA MESA 1999 1998

Murders 4 1

Forcible rape 29 17

Robberies 106 117

Aggravated assault 180 158

Burglaries 489 549

Larceny thefts 2480 2583

Vehicle thefts 380 531

NEWPORT BEACH 1999 1998

Murders none none

Forcible rape 14 15

Robberies 44 30

Aggravated assaults 80 152

Burglaries 183 635

Larceny thefts 1284 1517

Vehicle thefts 173 177

According to the FBI report, there was a drop in crime nationally by

7%. Orange County had a 7% decline in violent crime and 8% decrease in

property crime.