Property crime down across region, but violent crime up in some places
By Anneli Fogt
Year over year: Crime stats
Staff Writer
Posted Apr. 14, 2015 at 12:01 AM
Updated Apr 14, 2015 at 9:46 PM
Property crimes are on the decline in the High Desert but violent crime rose last year in some local communities, according to annual county crime statistics released by First District Supervisor Robert Lovingood's office Tuesday.
At all San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department stations in the Victor Valley and Barstow areas, nonviolent "Part II" crimes in 2014 were down from 2013. The Barstow sheriff's station saw the most drastic decline, with nonviolent and property crimes down 19 percent in 2014. Hesperia was next with a 10 percent decrease, followed by the Apple Valley and Victor Valley stations, which both had 8 percent decreases from 2013 to 2014. Adelanto saw a 5 percent decrease and Victorville saw a drop of 2 percent.
Meanwhile, the statistics showed violent crimes increased at the Victorville Station, Apple Valley Station and Victor Valley Station (which covers unincorporated areas of the valley). In Victorville, violent "Part I" crimes were up 10 percent in 2014 when compared to 2013, the largest increase in the area. Simple assault calls were up to 816 from 510 the year before, a 60 percent increase. Burglary, rape and aggravated assault reports were also up, but each saw less than a 20 percent increase.
"Simple assault calls were up, and it's truly hard to predict and police those calls," Victorville Sheriff's Station Capt. Sam Lucia said Tuesday evening. "Generally, simple assaults are crimes of emotion and can occur at any time and anywhere people interact. It occurs in an instant ... with or without provocation."
On the positive side for Victorville, the city saw six less murders and 32 less grand theft auto reports.
"I always hold my breath each year before the annual report comes out, because I know how hard the men and women at the Victorville Station work to deliver that higher level of service," Lucia said. "Although Part I crimes were up 10 percent overall, I'm thrilled that the most violent crime of all, homicide, was down 67 percent."
Victorville also led the Victor Valley in arrests made, with 4,348 in 2014. The number is nearly 1,500 more than the next closest station, Hesperia, which made 2,861 arrests.
The Victor Valley Station saw a 5 percent jump in violent crimes from 2013 to 2014. Robbery cases were up from 19 in 2013 to 22 in 2014 and simple assault, burglary and larceny all showed increases. Murder and rape cases dropped dramatically, with a 25 percent drop in murder cases and a 43 percent decrease in rape cases.
Apple Valley's 1 percent violent crime increase came from a 50 percent jump in rape cases: The station reported 18 rapes in 2014, up from 12 in 2013. Aggravated assault cases were also up in Apple Valley from 109 in 2013 to 139 in 2014. Similar to the Victorville and Victor Valley stations, Apple Valley recorded fewer murders in 2014, dropping from five to two.
Hesperia's violent crime rate showed little change overall from 2013 to 2014, but there were two more murder cases in 2014 than in 2013. Simple assault cases also increased from 400 to 528.
Two stations saw decreases in both Part I and Part II crimes. The Barstow and Adelanto stations both recorded statistics reporting decreases in crime across the board, even though robberies more than doubled in Barstow.
Sheriff John McMahon said in the 2014 Annual Report that accompanied the statistics that regional task forces are to thank for "root(ing) out stubborn gang-related crime."
"Gang sweeps, narrowly focused strikes against auto-theft and metal-theft rings, neighborhood 'quality of life' enhancement efforts ... will help us attack systemic crime and degradation in the towns and regions we call home," McMahon said in a statement in the Annual Report. "...the men and women of the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department will be out there on the streets, deserts and waterways of our county, arresting the bad guys and looking out for the good people."
Anneli Fogt can be reached at AFogt@VVDailyPress.com or 760-951-6276. Follow her on Twitter @DP_anneli_fogt.
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