Property Crimes

Deepa Bharath Amid a significant drop in crime overall in the first six half of 2003 compared to the same time in 2002, 22 rapes were recorded, an increase of 340%, according to a report released Wednesday by the state attorney general. Overall, crime dropped by 6.1% in Costa Mesa between January and June compared to 2002, according to the report. Violent crimes -- murder, rape, robbery and assault -- were down by 10.8% overall. Property crimes -- burglaries and auto thefts -- showed a 6.4% decrease.

We try never to get too excited, or too worried, about changing crime statistics in our cities. One reason is the very nature of statistics, which can be manipulating in almost any way and in support of almost any argument. Take this example from a safe city, one that looks like either Costa Mesa or Newport Beach. In one year, there is a single murder. The next year, there are two. How do you look at the change? You can see it rationally as a minor increase, one that is terrible given the value of human life, but an increase that almost certainly signals no major trend or change.

PUBLIC SAFETY Reports of violent crime are up in Costa Mesa Property crimes in Costa Mesa for the first six months of this year were down slightly in the city, but violent crimes are up 8.9% from last year, according to data released this week by the state attorney general. In raw numbers, that boils down to 11 more violent crimes -- 124 last year compared to 135 this year from the month of January through June. Costa Mesa had 909 reported property crimes, compared with 924 in the first six months of last year.

Deepa Bharath Crime figures for 2001 shot up in Costa Mesa and showed a mild increase in Newport Beach, according to the 2001 Uniform Crime Report released by the FBI on Monday. The total number of crimes in Costa Mesa went up by 16.1%, while crime in Newport Beach rose by 1.9% compared to the year 2000, the report showed. For Costa Mesa, the highest increases were reflected in robberies, which skyrocketed by 115.2%. Also in the category of violent crimes, forcible rape was up by 27.2% and assaults increased by 13.4%.

Deepa Bharath COSTA MESA -- The city ranked 30th in the country and seventh in the county on a list of the nation's safest cities, according to preliminary 2000 Uniform Crime Reporting figures released by the FBI on Wednesday. Numbers show that the city's overall crime rate dropped 4% compared with last year's statistics. According to the report, among Orange County cities with a population of more than 100,000, Irvine tops the list, followed by Huntington Beach, Orange, Anaheim, Santa Ana, Garden Grove, Costa Mesa and Fullerton.

Costa Mesa got a shot of good news at the end of last month when the FBI released its crime reports for the nation's biggest cities. Those numbers show the city ranked 30th among the 209 cities with more than a 100,000 population. The report -- the preliminary 2000 Uniform Crime Report -- also showed that most crimes were down compared with 1999. Violent crimes were down 16%, while they stayed about the same for the country as a whole. Property crimes were off 3%. The only increase was in motor vehicle thefts, which rose 21%. These numbers are a testimony to the hard work of the Costa Mesa Police Department, the members of which work 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to protect and serve the city.

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.

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.

Alicia Robinson Costa Mesa had the fourth-highest number of violent crimes reported out of nine Orange County cities in 2003, according to statistics released Monday by the FBI. The 304 violent crimes in Costa Mesa in 2003 numbered far fewer than Santa Ana, the county's top-ranked city in terms of both population and violent crimes, with 1,788 reported. Newport Beach's 115 reported violent crimes ranked eighth, followed only by Fountain Valley.

Deepa Bharath COSTA MESA -- Police officials said Wednesday that they are concerned by a surge in auto thefts citywide during the month of February. "One reason for the incidents could be because the economy is down," said Costa Mesa Police Chief David Snowden. If the thefts continue, he said, the city will seek the help of a county task force to counter the problem. The number of auto thefts this year, however, is still lower compared with the same period last year, said Det. Mark Manley.