Property Crimes

Deepa Bharath The city saw an increase in violent crimes but a decrease in property crimes during the first nine months of 2003 compared with the same time in 2002, a report released by the state attorney general's office on Wednesday showed. Overall, crime was up by 1.4%, the report said. Violent crimes, a category that includes murders, rapes, robberies and assaults, increased by 10.4%, and property crimes -- burglaries and auto thefts -- dropped by 1.6%.

Serious violent and property crimes in Costa Mesa have likely declined by about 10% from 2005 to 2006, according to preliminary statistics compiled by the Costa Mesa Police Department. Police credit the decrease to a concerted effort to reduce thefts and burglaries. The crimes that were tabulated were homicides, assaults and rapes, as well as property crimes like thefts, burglaries and larcenies. Police only had statistics for incidents through November and don't expect December's numbers to dramatically change the percentages.

COSTA MESA - Violent crime in Costa Mesa dropped slightly in the first half of 2011, while property crime increased by about 70 incidents when compared with the same time period last year. The FBI this week released its preliminary unified crime reports (UCR), which showed that between January and June 2011, there were 114 violent crimes citywide - down from 122 during the same period in 2010. The city saw an increase in murder, from one to three, and a drop in aggravated assault from 58 to 49. Property crimes increased from 1,565 to 1,632 in the beginning of this year, with six arson cases compared with three.

FBI releases national crime statistics The FBI on Monday released crime statistics showing a drop nationwide in violent and property crimes. The Preliminary Annual Uniform Crime Report compared 2004 statistics from 12,715 police agencies serving populations of 100,000 or more. Nationwide, violent crimes decreased 1.7% in 2004 and property crimes fell 1.8%, according to the report. As reported last month in California Department of Justice statistics, the number of violent crimes in Costa Mesa dropped from 304 in 2003 to 284 last year -- a 6.6% decrease.

Burglaries and car thefts in Costa Mesa increased sharply in the first half of the year compared with the same period in 2004, according to a report released Monday. The statistics were compiled by the state attorney general's office for the period of January through June, as reported by police agencies of cities with more than 100,000 residents. Statewide statistics reflected an overall decrease of 1.8% in violent crimes and an increase of 2.9% in property crimes, the report showed.

The violent- and property-crime rates in Newport-Mesa dropped between 2008 and 2009, mirroring a statewide trend of fewer offenses being reported, state officials announced Friday. In California, there were fewer homicides, robberies, car thefts and arsons than in the last three years, according to the state Justice Department. Orange County also followed the state's numbers, with a 3.6% drop in violent crimes, 10.5% fewer property crimes and a 3.7% drop in larcenies and thefts, the department reported.

Costa Mesa reported a significant drop in crime in 2010, and Irvine kept its hold on its distinction as America's safest large city for the seventh straight year, according to FBI data released Monday. The data analyzed cities with populations of 100,000 residents or more, and looked at violent crimes and property crimes from 2009 and 2010. Among violent crimes considered were murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault. Property crimes included burglary, theft, motor vehicle theft and arson.

NEWPORT BEACH – Some folks may think of the good old days as safer, but crime rates are at the lowest point here in more than four decades, data released Friday show. Newport Beach police released statistics analyzing crimes committed per thousand residents of Newport Beach dating to 1969. "If you were to ask people if they felt safer today or 30 or 40 years ago, most would say they felt safer back then," said Police Chief Jay Johnson. "However, the statistical facts show that our community is safer now than most people under 50 years old have ever experienced.

As the city of Newport Beach continues to shrink its workforce, one place it hopes to expand is the Police Department. A crime-suppression unit comprising three officers and one sergeant is proposed under the 2013-14 fiscal year budget. The new unit would address property crime, which makes up 97% of all Part One crime - those considered more serious - committed in the city, Capt. Dale Johnson said through department spokeswoman Kathy Lowe. "The entire Newport Beach Police Department is dedicated to reducing property crimes through prevention, education and enforcement," Johnson said.

Newport Beach saw a drop in serious and violent crime last year, a police department news release said. Part One crime — a category including the most serious offenses like murder, rape, aggravated assault and burglary — decreased by 3.4% in 2012, while violent crime saw a 10.9% decrease, the department reported. Property crimes dropped 3% overall; however, bike thefts were up by 18.1%, which amounted to 38 more stolen bikes. Mail theft also saw a 35% increase, or seven additional incidents.

Newport Beach Police Chief Jay Johnson says he is concerned about a state plan to release nonviolent offenders from prisons and into local communities. Under the state's realignment plan designed to relieve prison overcrowding, nonserious, nonviolent offenders have been released under probation rather than being placed on parole. The plan also shifted the burden of housing such offenders from the state to local jails and eased sentencing to lighten jail loads. "I'm very, very concerned," Johnson said during the City Council study session Tuesday.

I always appreciate the thoughtful comments by my friend Tamar Goldmann (Re. "Council agenda is harming public services," June 21), but this time, I think she reached several wrong conclusions. Let me explain why. FOR THE RECORD: An earlier version had Tamar Goldmann's last name misspelled. First, she said crime is up in Costa Mesa. The fact is, violent crime is actually down. Property crimes are up by 11%, and that is why this City Council has restructured the Police Department in such a way that more officers are patrolling our streets than ever before.

COSTA MESA - Violent crime in Costa Mesa dropped slightly in the first half of 2011, while property crime increased by about 70 incidents when compared with the same time period last year. The FBI this week released its preliminary unified crime reports (UCR), which showed that between January and June 2011, there were 114 violent crimes citywide - down from 122 during the same period in 2010. The city saw an increase in murder, from one to three, and a drop in aggravated assault from 58 to 49. Property crimes increased from 1,565 to 1,632 in the beginning of this year, with six arson cases compared with three.

Police use a variety of tools, including handcuffs, guns, batons, persuasion and education, to fight crime. But Newport Beach police are now tapping into another resource: humor. In a short clip posted on YouTube, Newport Beach police urged residents to keep their cars locked — and to leave valuables at home, never in their cars. Officer Dave Darling crunches the numbers on how many property crimes in Newport are related to vehicles — 37% — and how many involved unlocked cars — more than 50%. In other parts of the two-minute, 37-second video, Darling says it takes an average of five seconds for potential thieves to steal valuables from a vehicle.

NEWPORT BEACH – Some folks may think of the good old days as safer, but crime rates are at the lowest point here in more than four decades, data released Friday show. Newport Beach police released statistics analyzing crimes committed per thousand residents of Newport Beach dating to 1969. "If you were to ask people if they felt safer today or 30 or 40 years ago, most would say they felt safer back then," said Police Chief Jay Johnson. "However, the statistical facts show that our community is safer now than most people under 50 years old have ever experienced.

Costa Mesa reported a significant drop in crime in 2010, and Irvine kept its hold on its distinction as America's safest large city for the seventh straight year, according to FBI data released Monday. The data analyzed cities with populations of 100,000 residents or more, and looked at violent crimes and property crimes from 2009 and 2010. Among violent crimes considered were murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault. Property crimes included burglary, theft, motor vehicle theft and arson.

COSTA MESA — Violent crime in Costa Mesa dropped 14% in 2009 compared with the year prior, according to statistics released in the FBI's annual report on violent crime. There were 301 violent crimes in Costa Mesa in 2009, compared with 350 the year before. The FBI considers homicides, robberies, rapes and aggravated assaults violent crime. There were only two homicides between 2007 and 2009, police statistics show. In October 2009, police said 76-year-old Kenneth Leake shot his wife in their home off Orange Avenue, accounting for the lone homicide case.