After four consecutive years of reductions in the crime rate, serious violent crime in the City of Long Beach remained essentially unchanged in 2007, and the murder rate declined 4.9% to 39, the lowest since 1974 when the City was home to 132,412 fewer residents. The auto theft rate also dropped to its lowest level since 1971, when the Police Department first began compiling crime statistics.
Overall, Part 1, or serious crime increased 1.4 percent in 2007, compared to 2006 levels. This category includes such crimes as homicide, rape, robbery, burglary and auto theft, and are reported to the State Bureau of Criminal Statistics. Part II, or less-serious crimes such as prostitution and narcotics offenses, increased 9.4 percent in the same period. Combined, the number of crimes reported in the City of Long Beach increased 4.9 percent in 2007.
The police department has successfully held the line on violent crime and has achieved record lows in the murder rate. Although a 5th straight year of overall crime reduction was not achieved, effective enforcement strategies and relentless investigative follow-up have allowed the police department to remove numerous repeat offenders from the streets.
Many of the crimes reported in 2007 were crimes of opportunity. In addition:
- The number of auto thefts decreased 12%, from 3,281 to 2,860, due in part to Police Department education and outreach campaigns, and to residents’ efforts to protect their vehicles.
- The number of garage burglaries dropped 19.9%, from 347 to 278, the lowest level since 1990.
- The number of violent crimes increased slightly, by a total of 3, from 3,421 to 3,424.
- The number robberies increased from 1,437 to 1,506, or 4.8%, driven in part by a rise in thefts of handheld electronic devices such as PDA’s and MP3 players from persons targeted while in public places.
- Petty thefts are up 18.0% - a large portion is attributed to shoplifting and other thefts at convenience and grocery stores.
- Residential burglaries are up 3.2% - a few prolific burglary rings in the latter part of 2007 were responsible for several burglaries.
The City of Long Beach has several programs to combat crime and its roots, including aggressive citywide anti-gang and anti–youth violence programs. The City of Long Beach also takes pride in demolishing problem properties that attract criminal activity, and maintaining redevelopment efforts to improve neighborhoods.
In addition, the City of Long Beach in 2007 was awarded a federal grant worth up to $1 million over five years to implement a community-based, multi-agency approach to law enforcement, crime prevention, and neighborhood restoration in an area responsible for 28 percent of violent crime citywide. The Weed and Seed initiative is designed for neighborhoods with persistent high levels of serious violent crime and corresponding social problems that without proper intervention often lead to increased levels of violent crime, drug abuse, and gang activity. The designated area is east of the Los Angeles River, south of Hill Street, west of Cherry Avenue and north of Anaheim Street.
"We have made tremendous progress over the years, but the City of Long Beach and the Police Department are facing many economic and social challenges in the year ahead. The Governor’s proposal to possibly release 22,000 parolees back into society and the increased cost of illegal narcotics, such as methamphetamine and crack cocaine, have the potential to increase both violent and property crime in Long Beach," Chief Batts said. "In addition, it is unclear how the state and local budget constraints will affect the Police Department’s resources and operations. To address these challenges, the Police Department will continue to utilize creative and innovative enforcement strategies and actively engage the community to impact crime at the neighborhood level." The January 2008 stats showed a positive start to the new year. Part 1 crime is down 2.9%, Part 2 crime is down 13.9% with the total for the month down 7.7%.
The Police Department encourages residents and the business community to join Neighborhood Watch and Business Watch programs, and follow the simple, yet effective, crime prevention tips available at www.longbeach.gov/police/crime_prevention.