Crime rate sees slight rise in 2017 numbers

Statistics from Sheriff’s Station reflects a 3.48 percent increase

Statistics from the Sheriff’s Station reflect a 3.48 percent increase in reported Part-I crimes for the Santa Clarita Valley in 2017 compared to 2016 crime data.

For those living in the city of Santa Clarita, crime rose by 2.7 percent, while those living in SCV’s unincorporated areas saw crime rise overall by 6.1 percent.

The statistics are logged according to a crime reporting system set by the FBI—referred to as uniform crime reports. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department stats refer to Part 1 Crimes which, according to the FBI, are specific violent crimes and property crimes, such as burglaries and larceny.

Violent crimes such as murder, rape, robbery and assault rose by 7.3 percent across the entire SCV from 2016 to 2017.

Property crimes logged during the same period— which include burglary, larceny theft, grand theft auto and arson—rose across the entire SCV, meaning within city limits and the unincorporated areas, by 3.07 percent.

The latest report was released Tuesday by the Sheriff’s Department.

Violent crimes

Looking at violent crimes, the highest increase percentage-wise happened in the number of rapes reported in SCV’s unincorporated areas. In those areas, there were 10 rapes reported in 2016 compared to 17 rapes in 2017—a 70-percent increase.

There were six homicides in both 2016 and 2017. There were two homicides in the unincorporated areas of the Santa Clarita Valley in 2016 but four in the city for 2017; in 2016, there were four in unincorporated areas of SCV and two in the city.

The number of robberies went up in unincorporated parts of the Santa Clarita Valley, i.e. those parts of the SCV not in city limits, such as Castaic and Stevenson Ranch, by more than 35 percent.

Comparatively, the number of robberies in the city

of Santa Clarita remained exactly the same each year with 122 robberies reported in both 2016 and 1017.

The number of aggravated assaults year to year rose in the city by 14.81 percent but dropped by 4.26 percent in the unincorporated areas.

The number of aggravated assaults across the board for the SCV rose more than 10 percent from 2016 to 2017.

Property crimes

The number of property crimes committed across the entire SCV remained relatively the same with only slight shifts by single percentage points up or down for 2017 compared to 2016

For example, SCV Sheriff’s Station deputies responded to 650 burglaries in 2016, and 674 last year in the city. They responded to 166 burglaries in the unincorporated areas in 2016 and 148 last year.

City thefts totalled 1,942 in 2016 and added up to 1,997 last year—an increase of 2.83 percent. Larceny thefts in unincorporated areas totalled 562 in 2016 and 624 last year—an increase of 10.83 percent.

Grand theft auto cases amounted to almost the same year to year for both city and unincorporated areas.

There were 17 cases of arson in the city of Santa Clarita in 2016 and 13 cases last year. Those in unincorporated areas saw five cases of arson in 2016 and 10 last year.