CRIME IN VALLEY SEESAWS SERIOUS OFFENSES DROP IN PALMDALE, RISE IN LANCASTER.

Byline: Greg Botonis and Jim Skeen Staff Writers

PALMDALE - Serious crime went down 10 percent in Palmdale last year but rose 3 percent in Lancaster, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department statistics show.

City officials said they are combating crime by increasing their contracts with the Sheriff's Department to put more deputies on the street.

``We've been pretty good in giving the additional resources,'' Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford said Tuesday. ``I think it's been five years in a row that we have been giving them more than what they've asked for.''

Serious crimes - ranging from burglary and auto theft to homicide - rose from 5,368 in 2003 to 5,515 in 2004 in Lancaster, though sheriff's officials noted that most of the increase was in simple thefts and that violent crime decreased in all categories.

In Palmdale, serious crimes declined from 5,802 to 5,199, with the decrease mainly in thefts, burglaries, auto thefts and arson.

The rate of serious crimes per 10,000 residents dipped to 385.4 in Palmdale from 445.1 the year before, while in Lancaster it rose from 424.7 to 428.6.

Throughout the Antelope Valley, homicides declined to 34 from the record 42 the previous year. The valley's previous homicide record was 38, set in 1993.

Of 2004's killings, three were labeled justifiable self-defense, and one was a police shooting of a man who had stabbed his estranged wife.

In Lancaster, city officials last fall added three deputies to its sheriff's contract on a temporary basis, after adding 10 last spring in a new unit to concentrate on crime in rental housing.

On Tuesday, the Lancaster City Council approved a midyear budget revision to carry those positions through the fiscal year, which ends in June, and also added two more deputies.

City Council members said they were bothered by statistics showing response times for routine calls were close to the three-hour mark.

``The big concern was the time delay,'' Mayor Frank Roberts said. ``We want to see what happens with the delay time.''

Palmdale officials say they have been pleased with the Partners Against Crime program, in which city code enforcement officers and officials of other agencies team with sheriff's deputies.

Both cities have also begun cracking down on violations by people in homes where rent is subsidized under the Section 8 program for low-income households. Deputies say they often find unauthorized tenants with criminal records, as well as evidence of drug activity and other crimes, in subsidized rental houses and apartments.

`The abuse (of Section 8) is a growing concern,'' Ledford said. ``If they are not playing by the rules, then it is likely there are other abuses going on.''

Lancaster is already paying Los Angeles County government part of the salary for an additional housing inspector to concentrate on Section 8 homes, and Palmdale council members will vote next week on joining in.

Last year in Lancaster, homicides were down 19 percent, forcible rape was down 32 percent, robbery was down 0.3 percent, and aggravated assault was down 18 percent.

Burglary was down 0.6 percent, thefts up 10 percent, auto thefts up 14 percent and arson down 15 percent.

``The trend is toward violent crime going down after a five-year climb. If I see that over the next couple of years, I'll be extremely happy,'' said the Lancaster sheriff's station commander, Capt. Carl Deeley.

Deeley said deputies at the Lancaster station lead the Sheriff's Department in number of arrests, with 9,000 last year in the city and 10,000 in the unincorporated areas. Deputies handled 66,000 calls last year, up 5,000 from 2003.

In Palmdale, homicides were down 9 percent, but rape was up 28 percent, robbery was up 8 percent and aggravated assault was up 7 percent.

Palmdale burglaries were down 0.7 percent, thefts were down 21 percent, auto thefts were down 3 percent and arson was down 24 percent.

Serious crimes dropped by 9 percent in Antelope Valley unincorporated communities.

In the northern valley's unincorporated communities, including Quartz Hill and Lake Los Angeles, serious crimes decreased to 837 - from 924 in 2003.

In the southern valley's unincorporated communities, including Acton, unincorporated Palmdale and Littlerock, serious crime decreased to 1,102 - from 1,207 in 2003.

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ANTELOPE VALLEY CRIME CHART