CRIME RATE PUTS RESIDENTS ON EDGE STATISTICS SHOW RISE IN NUMBER OF CITY INCIDENTS SINCE 2000.Byline: Eugene Tong Staff Writer SANTA CLARITA Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, - The city's crime rate has crept up since 2000 after a six-year decline, and local sheriff's deputies say criminals appear to be growing increasingly bold. A number of incidents in the past several weeks - including the carjacking The criminal taking of a motor vehicle from its driver by force, violence, or intimidation. The u.s. justice department categorizes the crime of carjacking as a "completed or attempted Robbery of a motor vehicle by a stranger and rape of a 21-year-old woman who recently returned from military service in Iraq, two shootings involving deputies, at least four other carjackings, and several robberies - have left residents on edge. ``This valley isn't as safe as I thought it was,'' said Stephanie Cook, a Saugus resident and recent carjacking victim. ``I've lived here about 19 years, and it's definitely not what it used to be.'' Still, just 744 major crimes - including burglary, assault, rape, arson and homicide - were tallied in the first three months of 2004, indicating a possible downward trend, officials said. ``There had been a fairly steady decrease in crime,'' said Lt. Mike Dunkle of the Santa Clarita sheriff's station. ``What we started seeing in 2000 is a very gradual increase.'' From 2000 to 2001, the number of major crimes spiked from 2,757 to 3,222. Before 2000, that number had been dropping since peaking at 4,017 in 1993. In 2003, the crime tally hit 3,481 - the highest since 1996. The bulk of the felonies were property crimes including larceny larceny, in law, the unlawful taking and carrying away of the property of another, with intent to deprive the owner of its use or to appropriate it to the use of the perpetrator or of someone else. and auto theft, and may be attributed to such factors as a sluggish economy Sluggish Economy A state in the economy in which the growth is slow, flat or declining. The term can refer to the economy as a whole or a component of the economy, such as weak housing starts. and population growth, officials said. The numbers also bore out on the latest FBI list of the nation's safest cities. Santa Clarita dropped from eighth to 13th place in numbers in numbered parts; as, a book published in numbers. See also: Number of serious crimes among cities of at least 100,000 residents. ``The fact that there is more population growth is an impact to that, as well as incidents from people outside the valley,'' Assistant City Manager Ken Striplin said. ``The safest city thing is a top priority for the (City Council). We want to keep crime down.'' Yet the city remains relatively safe as population growth over the last decade is factored in, Dunkle said. At the 1993 peak, Santa Clarita was a city of roughly 115,000 residents, and 3 percent of the residents were victims of crime. Even with the spike last year, the rate hovered at 2 percent. ``Considering what the population was and what it is now, that's outstanding,'' he said. ``It's a nice community. You tend to have nice business establishments. You have nice cars. We have a very trusting populace. ... There is a sense of security in this neighborhood that tends to make people feel very secure and sometimes drop their guard.'' Cook, who fell victim to a carjacker at a shopping center shopping center, a concentration of retail, service, and entertainment enterprises designed to serve the surrounding region. The modern shopping center differs from its antecedents—bazaars and marketplaces—in that the shops are usually amalgamated into parking lot, agreed. But that is changing. ``I tell everybody I live in a bubble,'' she said. ``I've never thought anybody else had a better city than we do. ... You don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. who you can trust. You don't know if anybody has the best intention for you. You don't want people to help you with your groceries. It's the worst feeling ever.'' Still, sheriff's deputies say they have noticed some criminals are becoming more brazen. They cite a recent foiled daylight bank robbery The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please [ improve this article] or discuss the issue on the talk page. Bank robbery is the crime of robbing a bank. in Canyon Country and the rape of a woman who pulled off the freeway in Newhall to make a phone call. Robert Magana, 24, of Newhall was arrested in a Placerita Canyon dragnet Dragnet radio show in which justice is always served. [Radio: Buxton, 73] See : Crime Fighting hours after the kidnapping and sexual assault of the Iraq war Iraq War: see under Persian Gulf Wars. Iraq War or Second Persian Gulf War Brief conflict in 2003 between Iraq and a combined force of troops largely from the U.S. and Great Britain; and a subsequent U.S. veteran. He has been charged with seven felonies in that case and is awaiting arraignment A criminal proceeding at which the defendant is officially called before a court of competent jurisdiction, informed of the offense charged in the complaint, information, indictment, or other charging document, and asked to enter a plea of guilty, not guilty, or as otherwise permitted . ``Even if we're catching them, we're concerned about the boldness of the crimes themselves,'' Dunkle said. ``(The sheriff's deputies) really care about this place. Many of them live here. When stuff happens, they take it personally.'' D'ette Corona, a Saugus resident for 17 years, takes it all in stride. ``The more people move to Santa Clarita, the more crime is coming out this way - it's like the traffic,'' she said while having lunch at a shopping center patio with her husband and 7-year-old son. ``But overall it's still a safe city. Just like any place, you have to be aware of your environment.'' Eugene Tong, (661) 257-5253 eugene.tong(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): box Box: Crime in Santa Clarita Ebbs and flows in local crime trends SOURCE: Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department This article is about the Los Angeles County Sherriff's Department, not to be confused with the smaller Los Angeles County Police The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) is a local law enforcement agency that serves Los Angeles County, California. |
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