Violent crimes continue to decline while property crimes on the
rise
Residents in San Benito County are more likely to be the victim
of a property crime, such as burglary, theft or larceny than a
violent crime, according to statistics from the California
Department of Justice. The numbers are similar to those seen
statewide, according to recently updated DOJ statistics.
Violent crimes continue to decline while property crimes on the rise
Residents in San Benito County are more likely to be the victim of a property crime, such as burglary, theft or larceny than a violent crime, according to statistics from the California Department of Justice. The numbers are similar to those seen statewide, according to recently updated DOJ statistics.
San Benito’s Sheriff’s department attributes the decline in violent crimes such as homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault to public education.
“It’s just education. People are learning what’s going on and the severity of it,” said Lt. Roy Iler, of the SBC Sheriff’s department. “We can do all we can do on patrol, but education and community awareness is the biggest part of trying to get anything to come down.”
Another reason for the drop in violent crime is attributed to the creation of a gang suppression unit by local agencies. The sheriff’s department and Hollister police officers work together on the unit.
“We have guys going out on different days working solely on gang members,” Iler said. “They hit the hotspots and authorize the sheriff’s officers to come in and work those spots.”
A gang task force has also been created – with members from the community – to increase awareness of gang issues in the county.
From 2000 to 2004, the crime rate in SBC dropped from 6.1 to 4.1 crimes per 1,000 residents.
The statewide rate of violent crimes dropped to 5.1 in 2005 from 6.1 in 2000.
“The violent crime rate decreased for the 13th consecutive year in our state, despite a steadily increasing population and wavering economy,” said Bill Lockyer, attorney general. “That’s a tribute to all our police officers on the front lines and to local law enforcement agencies working together with communities and schools to strengthen public safety.”
While violent crimes have been on the decline, property crimes have been on the rise statewide. Property crimes increased from 10.7 per 1,000 residents in 2000 to 12.1 per resident in 2004 in San Benito County.
Though San Benito has a smaller population and rural setting, Iler said the county doesn’t necessarily have less crime than its more urban counterparts. The statistics show similarities between San Benito and Santa Clara’s crime rates despite differences in their population and the rural character of SBC.
Like the statewide trend, San Benito’s more populous neighbor to the north – Santa Clara County – has seen decreases in violent crimes while property crimes have gone up.
Crimes such as burglary and car theft have unique challenges for law enforcement agencies.
“When there is a violent crime, usually there is a face-to-face contact so the victim knows who the suspect is,” Iler said. “In property crimes, 99 percent of the time there is no contact between the victim and the suspect.”
The difference makes property crimes harder to investigate and harder to prosecute, Iler said.
While property crimes did decrease slightly in 2004, they had been on the rise since 2000, according to DOJ statistics. The increase in property crimes is usually correlated with increases in drug abuse, Iler said.
“For the last few months everything has been steady,” Iler said. “With burglaries and theft, if we look back a few years, they have increased.”
Local law enforcement agencies often notice changes in crime rates in advance of the DOJ’s release of statistics each year.
“We see the reports come through the office and we might see a trend,” he said. “If we see 10 burglaries in a month, we might also see 15 drug arrests so we think those might go together.”
Methamphetamine is one of the problem drugs in San Benito, according to Iler.
“It’s really easy for a meth head to be out there at 3 in the morning, stealing stuff to come up with the next ounce of meth,” he said. “These people don’t work so that’s the only way they can make money to support their habit.”
