RISING CRIME PROMPTS NEW ACTION.Byline: Bhavna Mistry Daily News Staff Writer With serious crime up 4.1 percent in the first three months of 1997, 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 sheriff's officials have obtained a ``bait bait a preparation containing a palatable food substance such as raw meat, carrot or bran and a pharmaceutical or poisonous substance. The purpose is to introduce the medicament or poison into the unsuspecting animal. car'' for targeting car thieves and are planning to increase anti-crime education efforts, sheriff's officials said Friday. Of the eight categories of crimes labeled ``Part One,'' or serious, by the FBI, the Antelope Valley recorded increases in seven - 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. , robbery, aggravated assault 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 , burglary, 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. , auto theft and arson arson, at common law, the malicious and willful burning of the house of another. Originally, it was an offense against the security of habitation rather than against property rights. - during January, February and March, compared to the same months last year. Rape reports went down. ``The increases are always a concern to us, but it gives us a chance to see where we want to redeploy re·de·ploy tr.v. re·de·ployed, re·de·ploy·ing, re·de·ploys 1. To move (military forces) from one combat zone to another. 2. our resources,'' sheriff's Lt. Joe Gutierrez said. In an effort to tackle the increases in robbery, officials said they plan to increase their anti-crime education efforts with local business owners, who are the majority of the victims. ``We'll have to step up our Business Watch and help them avoid being victims,'' Gutierrez said. Antelope Valley robberies are growing more violent, deputies noted. ``You hear of robbers firing shots or locking up their victims,'' Gutierrez said. ``It's sort of an intimidation. ``We always tell people not to resist the efforts of the suspect. We want them to be aware of their own safety and notify us as soon as they are out of danger.'' Hoping to decrease auto theft, sheriff's officials have obtained a bait car For other uses, see Bait (disambiguation). A bait car, also called a decoy car, is a vehicle used by a law enforcement agency to capture car thieves. The vehicles are specially modified, with features including GPS tracking, hidden cameras that record audio, video, - a vehicle equipped with a remote-controlled switch to kill the engine. Undercover deputies park it in a public place where it is likely to be seen by a car thief, keep watch and close in when a thief drives off. Although officials are happy to see the 30.7 percent decrease in rape, they say they want to hold off on their praise. ``Although we consider this a trend,'' Gutierrez said, ``we'd like to look at the whole year before we say we've been successful or not.'' Officials said that following a 5.1 percent increase in rape last year, anti-rape education classes were offered. The classes, coupled with media coverage about the rise, may have contributed to the decline so far this year, they said. For all of 1996, serious crime increased 0.8 percent, which deputies said is less than the Antelope Valley's population growth during the year. CRIME STATISTICS The following shows a comparison of Antelope Valley crime statistics between the first quarter of 1996 and first quarter of 1997. Crime 1996 1997 % Homicide 6 7 16.6% Rape 39 27 -30.7% Robbery 143 175 22.4% Assault 506 520 2.8% Burglary 847 876 3.4% Larceny 1,3651,390 1.8% Theft 449 498 10.9% Arson 3638 5.6% Total 3,391 3,531 4.1% 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. CAPTION(S): Chart Chart: CRIME STATISTICS (see text) |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion