CRIME STATISTICS SHOW SIMI VALLEY DECREASE : SIMI, T.O. CRIME RATES.Byline: Enrique Rivero Daily News Staff Writer While Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. officials were pleased over newly released statistics showing a significant drop in local crime, authorities in Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. were analyzing why violent crime in their city has risen. Total crime in Simi Valley fell about 30.1 percent during the first nine months of last year compared with the same period in 1995, state Attorney General Dan Lungren's office said Wednesday. Though Thousand Oaks saw a 3.2 percent drop in total crime - a smaller decrease than the 12.3 percent statewide total - the number of violent crimes, such as homicides and robberies, increased 9.3 percent during the same period. The statistics cover cities with populations of 100,000 or more. The two cities consistently rate near the top of the safest cities of their size in the crime index released annually by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), division of the U.S. Dept. of Justice charged with investigating all violations of federal laws except those assigned to some other federal agency. . That report is issued every fall. Simi Valley Mayor Greg Stratton credited efforts to root out gangs and the local populace's vigilance VIGILANCE. Proper attention in proper time. 2. The law requires a man who has a claim to enforce it in proper time, while the adverse party has it in his power to defend himself; and if by his neglect to do so, he cannot afterwards establish such claim, the as major factors in the city's success. ``We think we've removed some people from the streets that otherwise would be doing a lot of crime,'' Stratton said Thursday. ``It continues to take a combination of a very alert and concerned public and an aggressive and well-trained police department.'' He also said that more than half the crime is committed by people from outside the city's boundaries - and who, he said, are learning that local police and the courts are willing to take strong action against them. ``A lot of our crime is external, and part of our task is not just to stop crime, but to convince people that this is not the place to do crime,'' Stratton said. Though the Thousand Oaks percentage would indicate a sharp increase in violent crime, the numbers - 188 violent crimes in 1996 compared with 172 - don't show a dramatic jump, said Cmdr. Kathy Kemp of the Thousand Oaks Police Department. ``When you talk about raw numbers, you're only seeing about 16 more,'' she said. She noted that two of the city's three homicides were deemed self-defense by the Ventura County District Attorney's Office. These incidents included a fight at the Borderline borderline /bor·der·line/ (-lin) of a phenomenon, straddling the dividing line between two categories. borderline Bar & Grill, in which the victim fell, hit his head and died; and the case of a tow truck driver who shot an Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley man. The other homicide homicide (hŏm`əsīd), in law, the taking of human life. Homicides that are neither justifiable nor excusable are considered crimes. A criminal homicide committed with malice is known as murder, otherwise it is called manslaughter. was a murder-suicide involving a man and his wife, she said. Also, the majority of aggravated assaults A person is guilty of aggravated assault if he or she attempts to cause serious bodily injury to another or causes such injury purposely, knowingly, or recklessly under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life; or attempts to cause or purposely or appear linked with the use of methamphetamine methamphetamine (mĕth'ămfĕt`əmēn): see amphetamine; methedrine. , which makes users irrational and aggressive, she said. Overall crime in 1995 was actually lower than in 1994, she said. ``What we're seeing is that we're kind of floating back to where we were in 1994,'' she said. She added that the city can't afford to be complacent com·pla·cent adj. 1. Contented to a fault; self-satisfied and unconcerned: He had become complacent after years of success. 2. Eager to please; complaisant. , and crime analysts will be looking at these and the coming full-year statistics to reveal any trends and to determine how authorities should deal with them. ``In a nutshell nut·shell n. The shell enclosing the meat of a nut. Idiom: in a nutshell In a few words; concisely: Just give me the facts in a nutshell. Adv. 1. , this is a wake-up call that there are problems in the community that we need to pay attention to,'' Kemp said. In Simi Valley, violent crime fell 29.3 percent and property crime dropped by 30.3 percent, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the Attorney General's statistics. Property crime in Thousand Oaks decreased by 7 percent, according to the statistics. Overall, crime in the state fell by 12.3 percent, with violent crime dropping 9.3 percent and property crime plunging by 13.9 percent. The statistics cover the first nine months of 1996, with full-year figures expected to be released in March, according to the state Department of Justice. Below are the crime statistics for Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks released Wednesday by the California Department of Justice. The statistics cover the first nine months of 1996. Full-year figures are expected to be available in March. SIMI VALLEY Offense 1995 1996 % Change Homicide 4 0 -400 Rape 10 13 +30 Robbery 42 31 -26.2 Assault 101 67 -33.7 Total Violent Crime 157 111 -29.3 Burglary 489 334 -31.7 Motor Vehicle Theft Motor vehicle theft or grand theft auto is a criminal act of theft generally understood to refer to the stealing of automobiles, buses, motorcycles, snowmobiles, trucks, trailers or any other motorized vehicle legally allowed on public roads and highways, including attempted 268 194 -27.6 Total Property Crime 757 528 -30.3 Total Crime 914 639 -30.1 THOUSAND OAKS Homicide 0 3 +300 Rape 17 8 -52.9 Robbery 41 52 +26.8 Assault 114 125 +9.6 Total Violent Crime 172 188 +9.3 Burglary 339 325 -4.1 Motor Vehicle Theft 230 204 -11.3 Total Property Crime 569 529 -7.0 Total Crime 741 717 -3.2 SOURCE: Attorney General's Office. CAPTION(S): Chart Chart: Simi, T.O. crime rates (Ran in Simi edition only--See text) |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion