SMPD seeking gang injunctions
POLICE HDQTRS. — Overall crime in Santa Monica is down, again.
That’s according to Santa Monica Police Chief James T. Butts Jr., who released the 2005 crime statistics on Thursday. Statistics show that crime fell 1 percent last year — a record low since 1957.
“We’re better than we’ve ever been before,” Butts said.
“We’re better than we’ve ever been before.” — JAMES T. BUTTS JR. Santa Monica Police Chief
The statistics, which have been submitted to the California Department of Justice, show that part one crimes — which include homicide, rape, aggravated assault, burglaries, larceny and auto theft — dropped from a total of 4,096 incidents in 2004 to 4,048 incidents in 2005.
Bolstering the new low crime record was a 28-percent drop in rapes — 21 incidents in 2005, which is the same amount seen in 2003. The SMPD reported that the number of rapes had gone up 38 percent in 2004. Still, the number of rapes is as low as it was in the mid-1960s, Butts noted. The chief attributed the decline to better training of police investigators, community education of date rapes and aggressive prosecutions.
Robberies, highlighted by a 15-percent decrease in strong-arm robberies, bottomed out at their lowest point since the 1960s to a total of 241 incidents in 2005, Butts said. Although total burglaries showed an increase of 35 incidences — 788 in 2005 versus 753 in 2004, commercial burglaries declined 10 percent. Butts also pointed out that despite the increase, total burglaries remain at lows not seen since 1957. Comparatively, total burglaries in Santa Monica during the 1980s averaged to about 2,500 a year.
But there were increases in serious crime in 2005, although nominal. There were four homicides in 2005 versus two the year prior. There were four more aggravated assaults in 2005 over 2004 — 286 versus 282. There were four more auto thefts as well — 422 in 2005 versus 418 in 2004. The decrease in overall crime constitutes a 63-percent drop since 1993, a peak year in which part one crime figures were over 2 1/2 times greater than today. In 1993, there were 10,891 crimes recorded within Santa Monica.
Santa Monica recorded 44.2 part one crimes per 1,000 residents, making it the lowest crime year on record per capita, going back to 1956, when the city began keeping crime records, Butts said.
Serious crime in Santa Monica has dropped consistently for more than a decade, with the largest decline — 18 percent — occurring in 1994. The only year it increased since then was in 2001, when serious crime shot up 4 percent.
“I feel that the community, along with the support of our City Council, that of the 11 of 12 years, we have collaboratively improved public safety in Santa Monica to its lowest recorded year in history,” Butts said.
The Pico neighborhood, a large section of Santa Monica that extends east from Lincoln Boulevard to the city limits, and south of Interstate 10 and around Pico Boulevard, continues to be the hardest hit, with the most shots fired and assaults with a firearm. However, Butts said crime in the Pico neighborhood — plagued with gang violence for years — has fallen at the same rate as the rest of the city.
Typically, when crimes decrease so do arrests, which was the case in Santa Monica in 2005 — 4,127 versus 4,265 in 2004. There was a 3-percent drop in adult arrests and a 33-percent drop in part one crime arrests, Butts said.
For non-violent crimes, there was a 53-percent increase in 2005 for arrests of forgery and identity theft — from 19 in 2004 to 29 in 2005. Fraud arrests also increased from 34 in 2004 to 51 in 2005. Vandalism arrests increased 17 percent in 2005, and an 11-percent increase in weapons arrests. Narcotics arrests rose 22 percent last year — 277 in 2004 to 339 in 2005. Drunk driving arrests increased 12 percent, from 323 in 2004 to 361 in 2005.
Each year, the SMPD’s command staff and Chief Butts outline the department’s goals and objectives based on community input. Those goals are then set out by the division commanders and lieutenants, who develop strategies to obtain them with the resources available.
Last year, the SMPD set its goals to further develop a neighborhood centered policing program; improve community livability; traffic and pedestrian safety and better track and supervise parolees who live in the area. The SMPD also made a priority to curb aggressive panhandling, sleeping in doorways and illegal camping, particularly in city parks.
Gang violence, which was an issue brought to the forefront last year, has been addressed by the SMPD in various ways, including more patrols in the Pico neighborhood, being involved in community-wide gang summit meetings and seeking options for gang injunctions. In the case of Santa Monica, the SMPD is currently pursuing whether or not it can restrict activities of enjoined gangs — specifically keeping more than two gang members from Venice, Sawtelle and Culver City from congregating in defined areas of the city.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 13, 2006. Read the original PDF.