Financial & Technical Support Manager
MEDIA RELEASE WATSONVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT Released on Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Annual Crime Statistics for 2010 Synopsis Watsonville - The City’s overall crime rate fell 15 percent, the lowest the City has experienced in thirty years. The violent crime rate declined 8 percent and the property crime rate dropped 17 percent. There was 1 homicide in the City, down 75 percent from 2009.
Details Any discussion of criminal statistics must include an explanation of the difference between crime rates, the FBI crime index, and the total numbers of crimes. The FBI crime index is composed of selected offenses used to gauge fluctuations in overall volume and rate of crime reported to law enforcement. Crime rates are indicators of reported crime activities standardized by population. Lastly, the volume of crime is simply the number of crimes not standardized by populations. It should also be noted that percentages are based on actual numbers; the crime rates mentioned here are rounded to the nearest whole number for clarity.
Figure 1
1
FBI Crime Index The FBI crime index (refer to Figure 1) includes the violent crimes of murder and non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. It also includes the property crimes of burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson. These crime categories comprise the FBI crime index and are reported by the nation’s law enforcement agencies in the Uniform Crime Report. Annual national statistics based upon the Uniform Crime Reports are published in September of each year reflecting the previous years’ statistics. For example 2010 national statistics will not be published until September 2011 in the publication entitled Crime in the United States, http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm#cius. The State of California will publish 2010 crime statistics in August 2011 in the publication entitled Criminal Justice Profiles, http://stats.doj.ca.gov/cjsc_stats/prof07/index.htm. The 2010 crime rate based upon the FBI crime index in the City of Watsonville was 36 crimes per 1,000 people, down 15 percent from 2009 (42 crimes per 1,000). This is the lowest crime rate in the last 30 years. The City’s overall ten-year crime rate trend shows a 25 percent decline from 48 crimes per capita in 2001 to 36 in 2010, refer to Figure 1.
Violent Crime To further define the FBI index as it relates to the City of Watsonville, we can examine violent crime and property crime. The violent crime category consists of: willful homicide, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault. The City’s 2010 violent crime rate was 6 violent crimes per 1,000 people an 8 percent reduction. The ten-year violent crime rate trend reveals a modest 4 percent decline from 7 violent crimes per capita to 6 from 2001 to 2010; refer to Figure 2 below. Figure 2
2
The City had one homicide. Thirty-two year old Watsonville resident and Fiesta Latino Market clerk, Yahya Saleh Ali Ahmed, was fatally shot on October 19th during a store robbery. The seventeen year old Christian Lee Speaker has been charged as an adult with the murder. The rate of aggravated assaults declined 13 percent from 4.68 crimes per 1,000 to 4.09 and forcible rape fell 24 percent. In contrast, the rate of robberies increased 13 percent from 1.66 to 1.87 robberies per 1,000. Robbery and domestic violence were the only categories of the FBI index crimes that had an increase in 2010. The number of robberies committed with a firearm nearly doubled from the previous year, while the number of robberies committed by knife or cutting instrument increased by 11%. The use of a firearm comprised 32 percent of all robberies in 2010. Robberies that were considered strong-armed, where the attacker used his hands, fist or feet in the crime comprised 43 percent of all robberies. The third most commonly used weapon (20% of all robberies) was a knife or cutting instrument. About 14 percent of the City’s robberies were gangmotivated. Aggravated assaults (refer to Figure 3) comprise 66 percent of the City’s violent crime. About 15 percent of the City’s aggravated assaults were domestic violence motivated, and 37 percent gang-motivated. Most domestic violence cases do not involve a weapon. The City’s domestic violence rate to 4.3 crimes per 1,000 compared to 4.1 the previous year. The total reported domestic violence incidents in 2010 were 226 (an increase of 6 percent from 214 domestic violence incidents reported in 2009). Figure 3
3
Property Crime Property crime rate includes the offenses of burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft and arson. The ten-year property crime rate trend, refer to Figure 4, reveals a significant decline from 2009, 17 percent reduction in property crime rate. Figure 4
All the crime rates within the property classification fell in 2010: Arson down 8% Burglary down 6% Larceny –Theft down 14% Motor Vehicle Theft down 38% Figure 5
4
Larceny-theft comprised 70 percent of all the property offenses, refer to Figure 5, and this offense occurred at the rate of 21 per 1,000 (down 14 percent from 2009). Larceny-theft includes such crimes as shoplifting, purse snatching, thefts from motor vehicles, thefts of motor vehicle parts and accessories, bicycle thefts, etc., in which there is no use of force, violence, or fraud. Burglary comprised 18 percent of all the property crime. Motor vehicle thefts accounted for 11 percent of all property crime. Of the vehicles reported stolen last year, 92 percent were recovered. Figure 6
Thefts of motor vehicle parts, accessories and contents comprise the largest portion of reported larcenies at 53 percent and is often referred to as vehicle burglaries, refer to figure 6. The rate of vehicle break-ins fell 17 percent in 2010 from 13.2 per 1,000 to 11. Figure 6 displays the total number of vehicle break-ins, revealing a 15 percent drop from the previous year.
Arrests In 2010 Watsonville Police Officers arrested 2,447 adults and 525 juveniles. Adult arrests increased 17 percent, while juvenile arrests plummeted 34 percent, refer to figure 7. The last ten-year average for juvenile arrests is about 575; with the last three years (2007 – 2009) being higher arrests rates than the historical trend. The net total number of arrests in 2010 was 2,972, a 3 percent increase from the preceding year. Taking population into account, the arrest rate (arrests per 1,000 persons) increased slightly from 56 arrests to 57 per 1,000 population.
5
Figure 7
Gang Motivated Crime The percentage of violent crime that was gang motivated included: 14 percent of all robberies and 37 percent of all aggravated assaults. Of the City’s homicides, robberies, and aggravated assaults in which a firearm was used Figure 8
6
about 28 percent of those firearm related crimes were gang motivated. Violent gang motivated crime (number or volume) fell 10 percent from 2009, refer to figure 8. This reduction was attributed to a decline in gang motivated homicides, drive-by shootings and non-aggravated assaults.
Neighboring Communities Crime Rates 2010 local community crime rates based on the Uniform Crime Reporting system is contained in Figure 9. Figure 9: 2010 Crime Rate, number of crimes per 1,000, for local jurisdictions FBI Index Crime Rate 78 58 22 36
Violent Crime Rate 10 9 1 6
Property Crime Rate 68 49 22 30
Capitola Santa Cruz Scotts Valley Watsonville Unincorporated 19 2 Santa Cruz County FBI Index is based on the total violent and property crimes Violent crime is murder, non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault Property crime is burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft and arson Crime rate is the number of crimes divided by population (Department of Finance) per 1,000 people
17
Conclusions The overall ten-year crime rate for the City fell 15 percent and it is the lowest overall crime rate the City has had in thirty years. The violent crime rate fell 8 percent and is lower than the last ten year average. The rate of gang-motivated violent crimes fell 11 percent from 3.9 crimes per capita in 2009 to 3.5 in 2010. Nearly 70% of the City’s violent crimes are aggravated assaults (victim sustains serious bodily injury). Over one-third are gang motivated and 15 percent are domestic violence motivated. There are a number of gang preventionintervention and suppression strategies that are being employed to reduce the gang motivated violence such as aggravated assaults and drive-by shootings. The police department and the City have gang prevention, intervention and suppression programs that address the early stages of gang affiliation and the habitual violent gang offender. The 2010 programs and strategies included Together in Peace (funded by the California Corrections Standards Authority), CalGRIP (funded by the State of California), Police Activities League, Squires Program, School Resource Officers, Truancy Abatement, Gang Violence Suppression Unit, Joint Agency Gang Task Force, Assault & Robbery Suppression Team and the anti-gang coordinating council BASTA (Broad-based Apprehension, Suppression, Treatment, and Alternatives). The department also participates in the District’s School Attendance Review Board. cc: City Manager, City Clerk cc: City Council cc: Deputy Chiefs By Manuel Solano at 1:43 pm, Feb 23, 2011 cc: Lieutenants cc: Investigations BY: CHIEF MANNY SOLANO cc: Press Board cc: Dispatch DATE: February 23, 2011 cc: Patrol 7
Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics - City of Watsonville 2009-2010 Watsonville UCR Data 2009
2010
09 -10% Inc/Dec
4
1
-75%
Forcible Rape
17
13
-24%
Robbery
86
98
14%
Aggravated Assault
243
215
-12%
Burglary
285
271
-5%
Willful Homicide
Motor Veh Theft Larceny Arson FBI Index Violent total Property Total CA Index FBI Crime Rate FBI Crime Rate Change Violent Rate Violent Rate Change Property Rate Property Rate Change
281
177
-37%
1259
1091
-13%
15
14
-7%
2,190
1,880
-14%
350
327
-7%
1,840
1,553
-16%
916
775
-15%
42
36
-15%
-2.5%
-15.2%
7
6.22
-1.2%
-7.7%
35
30
-8% -17%
-2.8%
-16.7%
Population-Dept of Finance
51,882
52,543
1%
Officers employed October
64
66
3%
Officer Ratio per 1,000
1.2
1.3
2%
prepared by Watsonville Police Department, 2/23/2011 source:California Bureau of Statistics and Local Law Enforcement Agencies, Population from California Dept. of Finance
Annual Crime Statistics for 2010 Synopsis Watsonville - The City’s overall crime rate fell 15 percent, the lowest the City has experienced in thirty years. The violent crime rate declined 8 percent and the property crime rate dropped 17 percent. There was 1 homicide in the City, down 75 percent from 2009.
Details Any discussion of criminal statistics must include an explanation of the difference between crime rates, the FBI crime index, and the total numbers of crimes. The FBI crime index is composed of selected offenses used to gauge fluctuations in overall volume and rate of crime reported to law enforcement. Crime rates are indicators of reported crime activities standardized by population. Lastly, the volume of crime is simply the number of crimes not standardized by populations. It should also be noted that percentages are based on actual numbers; the crime rates mentioned here are rounded to the nearest whole number for clarity.
Figure 1
1
FBI Crime Index The FBI crime index (refer to Figure 1) includes the violent crimes of murder and non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. It also includes the property crimes of burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson. These crime categories comprise the FBI crime index and are reported by the nation’s law enforcement agencies in the Uniform Crime Report. Annual national statistics based upon the Uniform Crime Reports are published in September of each year reflecting the previous years’ statistics. For example 2010 national statistics will not be published until September 2011 in the publication entitled Crime in the United States, http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm#cius. The State of California will publish 2010 crime statistics in August 2011 in the publication entitled Criminal Justice Profiles, http://stats.doj.ca.gov/cjsc_stats/prof07/index.htm. The 2010 crime rate based upon the FBI crime index in the City of Watsonville was 36 crimes per 1,000 people, down 15 percent from 2009 (42 crimes per 1,000). This is the lowest crime rate in the last 30 years. The City’s overall ten-year crime rate trend shows a 25 percent decline from 48 crimes per capita in 2001 to 36 in 2010, refer to Figure 1.
Violent Crime To further define the FBI index as it relates to the City of Watsonville, we can examine violent crime and property crime. The violent crime category consists of: willful homicide, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault. The City’s 2010 violent crime rate was 6 violent crimes per 1,000 people an 8 percent reduction. The ten-year violent crime rate trend reveals a modest 4 percent decline from 7 violent crimes per capita to 6 from 2001 to 2010; refer to Figure 2 below. Figure 2
2
The City had one homicide. Thirty-two year old Watsonville resident and Fiesta Latino Market clerk, Yahya Saleh Ali Ahmed, was fatally shot on October 19th during a store robbery. The seventeen year old Christian Lee Speaker has been charged as an adult with the murder. The rate of aggravated assaults declined 13 percent from 4.68 crimes per 1,000 to 4.09 and forcible rape fell 24 percent. In contrast, the rate of robberies increased 13 percent from 1.66 to 1.87 robberies per 1,000. Robbery and domestic violence were the only categories of the FBI index crimes that had an increase in 2010. The number of robberies committed with a firearm nearly doubled from the previous year, while the number of robberies committed by knife or cutting instrument increased by 11%. The use of a firearm comprised 32 percent of all robberies in 2010. Robberies that were considered strong-armed, where the attacker used his hands, fist or feet in the crime comprised 43 percent of all robberies. The third most commonly used weapon (20% of all robberies) was a knife or cutting instrument. About 14 percent of the City’s robberies were gangmotivated. Aggravated assaults (refer to Figure 3) comprise 66 percent of the City’s violent crime. About 15 percent of the City’s aggravated assaults were domestic violence motivated, and 37 percent gang-motivated. Most domestic violence cases do not involve a weapon. The City’s domestic violence rate to 4.3 crimes per 1,000 compared to 4.1 the previous year. The total reported domestic violence incidents in 2010 were 226 (an increase of 6 percent from 214 domestic violence incidents reported in 2009). Figure 3
3
Property Crime Property crime rate includes the offenses of burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft and arson. The ten-year property crime rate trend, refer to Figure 4, reveals a significant decline from 2009, 17 percent reduction in property crime rate. Figure 4
All the crime rates within the property classification fell in 2010: Arson down 8% Burglary down 6% Larceny –Theft down 14% Motor Vehicle Theft down 38% Figure 5
4
Larceny-theft comprised 70 percent of all the property offenses, refer to Figure 5, and this offense occurred at the rate of 21 per 1,000 (down 14 percent from 2009). Larceny-theft includes such crimes as shoplifting, purse snatching, thefts from motor vehicles, thefts of motor vehicle parts and accessories, bicycle thefts, etc., in which there is no use of force, violence, or fraud. Burglary comprised 18 percent of all the property crime. Motor vehicle thefts accounted for 11 percent of all property crime. Of the vehicles reported stolen last year, 92 percent were recovered. Figure 6
Thefts of motor vehicle parts, accessories and contents comprise the largest portion of reported larcenies at 53 percent and is often referred to as vehicle burglaries, refer to figure 6. The rate of vehicle break-ins fell 17 percent in 2010 from 13.2 per 1,000 to 11. Figure 6 displays the total number of vehicle break-ins, revealing a 15 percent drop from the previous year.
Arrests In 2010 Watsonville Police Officers arrested 2,447 adults and 525 juveniles. Adult arrests increased 17 percent, while juvenile arrests plummeted 34 percent, refer to figure 7. The last ten-year average for juvenile arrests is about 575; with the last three years (2007 – 2009) being higher arrests rates than the historical trend. The net total number of arrests in 2010 was 2,972, a 3 percent increase from the preceding year. Taking population into account, the arrest rate (arrests per 1,000 persons) increased slightly from 56 arrests to 57 per 1,000 population.
5
Figure 7
Gang Motivated Crime The percentage of violent crime that was gang motivated included: 14 percent of all robberies and 37 percent of all aggravated assaults. Of the City’s homicides, robberies, and aggravated assaults in which a firearm was used Figure 8
6
about 28 percent of those firearm related crimes were gang motivated. Violent gang motivated crime (number or volume) fell 10 percent from 2009, refer to figure 8. This reduction was attributed to a decline in gang motivated homicides, drive-by shootings and non-aggravated assaults.
Neighboring Communities Crime Rates 2010 local community crime rates based on the Uniform Crime Reporting system is contained in Figure 9. Figure 9: 2010 Crime Rate, number of crimes per 1,000, for local jurisdictions FBI Index Crime Rate 78 58 22 36
Violent Crime Rate 10 9 1 6
Property Crime Rate 68 49 22 30
Capitola Santa Cruz Scotts Valley Watsonville Unincorporated 19 2 Santa Cruz County FBI Index is based on the total violent and property crimes Violent crime is murder, non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault Property crime is burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft and arson Crime rate is the number of crimes divided by population (Department of Finance) per 1,000 people
17
Conclusions The overall ten-year crime rate for the City fell 15 percent and it is the lowest overall crime rate the City has had in thirty years. The violent crime rate fell 8 percent and is lower than the last ten year average. The rate of gang-motivated violent crimes fell 11 percent from 3.9 crimes per capita in 2009 to 3.5 in 2010. Nearly 70% of the City’s violent crimes are aggravated assaults (victim sustains serious bodily injury). Over one-third are gang motivated and 15 percent are domestic violence motivated. There are a number of gang preventionintervention and suppression strategies that are being employed to reduce the gang motivated violence such as aggravated assaults and drive-by shootings. The police department and the City have gang prevention, intervention and suppression programs that address the early stages of gang affiliation and the habitual violent gang offender. The 2010 programs and strategies included Together in Peace (funded by the California Corrections Standards Authority), CalGRIP (funded by the State of California), Police Activities League, Squires Program, School Resource Officers, Truancy Abatement, Gang Violence Suppression Unit, Joint Agency Gang Task Force, Assault & Robbery Suppression Team and the anti-gang coordinating council BASTA (Broad-based Apprehension, Suppression, Treatment, and Alternatives). The department also participates in the District’s School Attendance Review Board. cc: City Manager, City Clerk cc: City Council cc: Deputy Chiefs By Manuel Solano at 1:43 pm, Feb 23, 2011 cc: Lieutenants cc: Investigations BY: CHIEF MANNY SOLANO cc: Press Board cc: Dispatch DATE: February 23, 2011 cc: Patrol 7
Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics - City of Watsonville 2009-2010 Watsonville UCR Data 2009
2010
09 -10% Inc/Dec
4
1
-75%
Forcible Rape
17
13
-24%
Robbery
86
98
14%
Aggravated Assault
243
215
-12%
Burglary
285
271
-5%
Willful Homicide
Motor Veh Theft Larceny Arson FBI Index Violent total Property Total CA Index FBI Crime Rate FBI Crime Rate Change Violent Rate Violent Rate Change Property Rate Property Rate Change
281
177
-37%
1259
1091
-13%
15
14
-7%
2,190
1,880
-14%
350
327
-7%
1,840
1,553
-16%
916
775
-15%
42
36
-15%
-2.5%
-15.2%
7
6.22
-1.2%
-7.7%
35
30
-8% -17%
-2.8%
-16.7%
Population-Dept of Finance
51,882
52,543
1%
Officers employed October
64
66
3%
Officer Ratio per 1,000
1.2
1.3
2%
prepared by Watsonville Police Department, 2/23/2011 source:California Bureau of Statistics and Local Law Enforcement Agencies, Population from California Dept. of Finance
