Property crime remains a thorn in city's side
Larceny, auto theft contribute to overall increase in law breaking in '07
By Darleen Principe darleen@theacorn.com

Simi Valley residents can help prevent crime simply by locking their cars and concealing valuables, according to Police Chief Mike Lewis, who called the suggestion his "sermon of the year."

In a report released by the Simi Valley Police Department last week detailing the city's year-end Part I crime statistics for 2007, the overall 11.1 percent upsurge in crime is primarily being attributed to a spike in property crimes.

"It's a continuing thing we're experiencing," Lewis said. "Those that live in Simi Valley feel very comfortable and safe here. But it's a double-edged sword because people are not taking the precautionary steps to safeguard their property."

While the number of violent crimes decreased by 18- or 10.5 percent- property crimes increased by 13.2 percent. Out of the 310 additional property crimes, 254 were larceny and 62 were auto thefts.

Lewis said the increase peaked in March 2007 and that the crimes have largely been tracked back to Los Angelesbased criminals who've come into Simi looking for "crimes of opportunity"- larceny crimes where a break-in is not even necessary.

In many instances, residents will retire into their homes after leaving valuables in plain sight inside unlocked cars, he said.

According to Lewis, some of the auto thefts, which rose from 160 in 2006 to 222 in 2007, occurred because car owners left keys inside their vehicles.

"A vehicle that's very attractive right now is the Cadillac Escalade," the chief said. "We noticed at first that auto parts were being stolen, like the rear tailgate. But it grew to the point where (criminals) were stealing the whole vehicle. We found a lot of them were ending up in the L.A. area, and they were stripped by the time we got to them."

Lewis said the police department is continuing to direct patrol to certain neighborhoods that may be experiencing increases in crime activity.

Officers are also paying extra attention to people driving through the city between the hours of 1 and 4 a.m. But there's only so much the police can do, he said.

"Certainly we are encouraging the community to call on us if they notice any suspicious circumstances," Lewis said. "(Residents) should also be aware of any suspicious vehicles driving down their street in the middle of the night or if they're driving with the lights turned off.

"Most importantly, we encourage citizens to be vigilant, to lock their vehicles and take valuables inside with them."

Police personnel responded to 46,328 calls for service in 2007.

Despite this high volume, the report said officers are still maintaining an average 4.5minute response time to emergency calls and 16.6minute response time to routine calls.

The number of reported traffic accidents decreased in 2007 to 1,096, a 4.4 percent drop-off from '06.

Simi Valley Crime Statistics