Crime rates in state, S.J. County on decline

Property crimes in San Joaquin County have declined over the last decade, according to data released by the California Attorney General’s Office this month.

Robberies, burglaries, vehicle thefts and larcenies also saw steady declines between 2009 and 2018 in the county, according to the data compiled by the Attorney General’s Office. But violent crime has been on the rise.

Law enforcement agencies across the state periodically report crime data to the California Department of Justice as part of the Federal Uniform Crime Reporting Program, and the Attorney General’s Office has compiled the least 10 years of information on its website.

The crimes summarized at

include homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft and arson.

In 2009, San Joaquin County law enforcement agencies responded to 1,759 reports of robbery and 7,521 burglaries. Last year, those numbers dropped to 1,656 and 4,231, respectively, according to the report.

Vehicle thefts decreased from 3,991 in 2009 to 3,729 last year, while larceny reports dropped from 17,218 to 14,163 in that period, the report states.

Arson was the only property crime to have increased numbers since 2009. That year, officers responded to 121 reports, while answering 259 calls in 2018. However, last year’s numbers decreased from the 270 reported in 2017, the report states.

While most property crimes fell over the decade, violent crime rates in San Joaquin County increased.

There were 3,573 aggravated assaults reported in the county in 2009, and after four years of decline, that number steadily rose to 4,005 in 2017. Last year, reports decreased to 3,954 — still higher than a decade ago.

The number of rapes reported in the county also increased, but the state said that was due to law enforcement agencies broadening the definition of the crime in 2013.

Until 2012, rape was defined as “the carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her will,” according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program. In 2013, the term “forcibly” was removed from the definition, and attempts to assault or commit rape was added. The definition of rape was broadened so that any part of the body used for an assault or rape, no matter how slight, was included.

In addition, the revised definition included both men and women as victims and offenders, the FBI said.

In 2009, law enforcement officers in San Joaquin County responded to 148 rapes, and in 2018, responded to 288.

There were 51 homicides in 2009, and last year there were 52. However, much like aggravated assaults, last year’s number comes after four years of decline.

In 2014, law enforcement was faced with 67 homicides in the county, followed by 64 in 2015, 62 in 2016, and 68 in 2017.

Crime reporting statistics in Lodi seem to experience slight declines over the last decade, according to the Attorney General’s report.

For property crimes, there were 380 reported vehicle thefts in Lodi in 2009 and 342 in 2018; 1,211 larceny reports in 2009 and 1,000 in 2018; 793 burglaries in 2009 and 359 in 2018; and 17 arsons in 2009 and 14 in 2018.

Lodi Police Chief Tod Patterson said there are a couple different reasons as to why property crime reports have decreased, and one of those is the lack of people actually reporting incidents.

“A lot of things have changed in the several years,” he said. “A lot of stores now have policies that don’t allow you to do anything, and I think that’s a big part of why the numbers are low.”

Some stores, such as Home Depot or Victoria’s Secret, have strict policies in place that forbid employees from watching, approaching or detaining someone they might suspect be shoplifting.

While there is no Victoria’s Secret located in Lodi, an Oct. 30, 2018 report on www.businessinsider.com revealed the chain has a policy in place that forbids employees from even pointing out suspected thieves.

Patterson said the passage of Proposition 47 in 2014 has also deterred victims of crime from reporting incidents. Proposition 47 converted many non-violent offenses — such as drugs and property crimes — from felonies to misdemeanors.

“A lot of people who would be arrested for property theft would now be cited with a misdemeanor,” he said. “It’s causing a lot of people to not call police when a crime occurs. Now they just call their insurance.”

Violent crimes in Lodi saw slight increases or remained stagnant over the last decade, as officers responded to 140 aggravated assaults in 2009, and last year responded to 168.

There were 11 rapes reported in 2009 and 12 in 2018. Homicides were the exception, as there was just one in 2009; that climbed to nine last year, according to the report.

To view crime data by state or county on the Attorney General’s website, visit www.tinyurl.com/y55wejth.