MAJOR CRIMES ON UPSWING INCREASE DROPS CITY RANK TO FIFTH-SAFEST IN STATE.

Byline: Patricia Farrell Aidem Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - Major crime rose in Santa Clarita in 2000, with the largest gains in rape, arson and burglary, but the figures are still lower than they were a decade ago, according to a report issued this week by the state Attorney General's Office.

The increases pushed the city down to fifth-safest in California, but Assistant City Manager Ken Pulskamp said Thursday that the numbers remain low.

``Overall, we are about the same as we were - still one of the safest cities in the nation,'' Pulskamp said. ``And, if one were to compare where the city is now in terms of the number of crimes to 1993, we've dropped by about one-third in spite of the fact we've had a significant increase in population.''

While major crimes rose, the local rate fell 4.7 percent from 1999 to 2000 because domestic violence is no longer counted as aggravated assault, accounting for a 41.5 percent decline in that category.

One concern was the increase in rapes, up six to 25 during the year, though Rodriguez said in his memo that the number of incidents was too small to ``make a valid statistical statement.'' The captain did note that all of the rapes involved victims who knew their assailants.

``Certainly not to minimize the crime, but the number of rapes is so low,'' Pulskamp said. ``The numbers have ranged from 19 to 29; this year we're at 25. It's been about the same rate for the last 10 years.''

Sixty-three of the 87 burglaries reported in 2000 were at various businesses or storage areas, allaying fears that home break-ins are on the rise, station Capt. Don Rodriguez said.

Arson rose 44 percent, with 17 people detained for questioning in the 60 cases reported. Twelve of those cases involved vehicle fires, believed set to cover thefts or other crimes, according to a memo Wednesday from Rodriguez to Pulskamp.

Burglaries climbed 17 percent, with most of the rise involving businesses and storage facilities, Rodriguez said in his memo.

There were no homicides in the city in 2000, compared with two the prior year, while robberies showed a slight increase.

Santa Clarita fell from its perch as fourth-safest city in California to fifth. Simi Valley ranked first; Thousand Oaks, second; and the Bay Area cities of Daly City and Sunnyvale were ranked third and fourth.

The FBI will release national figures later this year, and Santa Clarita will likely drop to the seventh- or eighth-safest city in the nation, Rodriguez said in his memo.

Santa Clarita, one of the fastest-growing cities in the state, has struggled to stay near the top of the safe cities list as smaller municipalities such as Daly City have passed the 100,000 population threshold for inclusion in the tally. Also, the list - fodder for municipal bragging rights - ranks cities by the number of crimes, not the crimes per capita.

``We certainly would like to be No. 1, and we do everything we can to make our Sheriff's Department stronger and our community safer, but when you start looking at the numbers, the fact is we are one of the safest cities in the United States,'' Pulskamp said.

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Chart: Crime Statistics For Santa Clarita