A year in local law enforcement characterized by a new police
leader and the murder of a 73-year-old man included a virtually
unchanging crime rate, according to figures obtained from local law
enforcement agencies.
The six felony crime categories used to compile the California
Crime Index were obtained this week from the Hollister Police
Department, the Sheriff’s Department and the California Highway
Patrol.
A year in local law enforcement characterized by a new police leader and the murder of a 73-year-old man included a virtually unchanging crime rate, according to figures obtained from local law enforcement agencies.
The six felony crime categories used to compile the California Crime Index were obtained this week from the Hollister Police Department, the Sheriff’s Department and the California Highway Patrol.
The state’s Department of Justice (DOJ) uses the Crime Index to analyze trends both locally and throughout California. The statewide numbers, though, won’t be compiled and released for several months.
In Hollister, there were 125 violent crimes in 2003 – which include homicides, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults. That’s the same number of violent crimes committed in Hollister the previous year, according to statistics from the DOJ.
Total violent crimes for the entire county could not be calculated because the Sheriff’s Department did not have a number of aggravated assaults. They did provide total assaults, though, which was 97, according to Lt. Pat Turturici.
In Hollister, there were 106 aggravated assaults in 2003 – up from 83 the year before, according to the DOJ. That’s a 28-percent increase.
Assaults often involve gang members, according to Sheriff Curtis Hill. He and other law enforcement officials, including Hollister Police Chief Jeff Miller, have made gang suppression a priority for 2004, Hill said.
“The chief (Miller) and I are on exactly the same page,” said Hill, who also mentioned District Attorney John Sarsfield as an aggressive prosecutor toward gang activity.
In 2003 throughout the county, there were 516 property crimes – which include burglaries (322) and auto thefts (194). The total number of property crimes was up slightly from 495 the previous year, according to the DOJ.
Law enforcement officials were pleased with this year’s figures, despite budget problems and staffing shortages.
The Hollister Police Department has three fewer sworn officers (33) than it did a year ago, according to Miller. And the Sheriff’s Department lost six officers this year – four at the jail and two in patrol, according to Hill.
Miller, who arrived in September, called his staff dedicated and a “pleasure to work with.”
“I continue to appreciate their support and hard work,” Miller said. “They consistently impress me with the things they’re doing.”
Hill said he will meet with his staff today to analyze and discuss crime figures from 2003.
Other significant figures in 2003 included homicides. There were three for the year – compared to one in 2002 and six in 2001.
That included the murder of 73-year-old Ralph Santos. His body was found off Buena Vista Road in June after he had disappeared for nine days. The two men charged for murder will go to trial in either March or April, according to court records.
There were also 15 forcible rapes in 2003 (12 in Hollister) – compared to 21 the previous year. There were 18 robberies, down significantly from 35 in 2002
Additionally, the number of arsons increased in 2003 to 16, according to statistics from Fire Department Capt. Mike O’Connor and the Sheriff’s Department. There were seven the year before.
Hollister Capt. Bob Brooks also pointed out a drop in graffiti around town, which can’t be tabulated. The progress, though, can be seen throughout town, he said.
Regarding his new chief, Brooks said the transition has been “very smooth.”
“He’s doing a good job, and I’m not just saying that because he’s my boss,” Brooks said.
