Crime rate falls in city

But new stats show uptick in violent incidents



 

Crime statistics don’t bring comfort to those who’ve suffered at the hands of offenders, but they do help authorities identify trends and address them.

After increases in overall crime in 2016 and 2017, Simi Valley saw a decrease in 2018, according to preliminary statistics compiled by the police department.

Overall, the city had 13.5 crimes per 1,000 residents in 2018 compared to 15.9 per 1,000 in 2017 and 13.7 per 1,000 in 2016, SVPD announced earlier this month. Simi has an estimated 126,870 residents.

But statistics don’t tell the whole story.

While property-related crimes declined significantly from 1,831 in 2017 to 1,493 in 2018, the number of violent crimes jumped from 184 in 2017 to 214 last year. Simi Police Chief David Livingstone said the increase in violent crimes reflects a higher number of reported rapes and robberies, from 32 to 46 rapes and from 39 to 56 robberies.

The increase in rapes were not random attacks but incidents where the victim had a relationship with the suspect, sometimes an ex, other times a person met through an online dating app.

“Those kinds of crimes are harder for us to prevent, but with the ‘Me Too’ movement, victims have been more comfortable reporting sex crimes where in the past they felt ashamed,” Livingstone said.

“Ultimately, no means no, and I don’t care what the relationship is between the two people, we take any sex crime seriously and will prosecute anyone who commits those crimes.”

As for the increase in robberies, the chief said a “lion’s share of those were shoplifting incidents that turned into felonies when the perpetrators committed some act of violence in the process.”

Every year, law enforcement agencies measure statistics and compile Part I crimes, which include violent crime and property crime. The FBI uses that information to determine the safest cities in each state and nationwide.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, which contracts with the cities of Thousand Oaks, Camarillo, Moorpark, Fillmore, Ojai and unincorporated areas, also reported an overall drop in crime from 4,656 in 2017 to 3,923 last year, according to the agency’s report released earlier this month.

In a separate report by Safe-Wise, a Utah-based company that compiles crime trend data to determine the safest cities in California, Simi ranked No. 40 out of 50. The ranking was based on the number of property and violent crimes reported in 2017. The full report can be viewed at www.safewise.com/blog/safestcities california.

Livingstone said there’s always a debate over whether Simi is safer now than it has been in the past or why it’s not the safest city, but the important thing is to look at the figures, which have decreased over the years.

In 1986, around 2,700 Part I crimes were reported, compared to 1,707 last year. That’s a significant historical trend that shows the city is getting safer, Livingstone said.

“Going into my third year as chief with a downturn in crime after two years with slight upticks is significant,” he said. “While I’m happy to see the drop, we still have work to do, and we can’t sit back on our laurels because violent crimes did go up, so we have to find a way to drive those numbers down like we did with property crimes.”

Addressing crime

Livingstone said crime stats in recent years have been affected by Prop. 47, which passed in 2014 with the intent of relieving the state’s overcrowded prisons by releasing low-level offenders and reducing certain nonviolent crimes, including drug possession, from felonies to misdemeanors.

And Prop. 57, passed in 2016, allows certain inmates convicted of nonviolent felonies to be eligible for parole, while others can earn credit toward early release for good behavior and educational or rehabilitative achievements.

Prop. 64, which passed in November and legalizes the use of marijuana, could also have an effect on crime. And a recent state law allows pot deliveries everywhere, even in cities like Simi that ban all marijuana-related activities, including deliveries and dispensaries.

Livingstone said it’s too early to tell whether Prop. 64 will impact crime trends, but Props. 47 and 57 are definitely affecting the numbers.

“With (Props.) 47 and 57, the proverbial pendulum has swung too far and we now have more offenders back out on the streets with no tools to help them,” he said.

“Incarcerating everyone isn’t the answer, especially with certain crimes, but there are things that people can get help with and turn their lives around.”

In an effort to reduce the numbers, SVPD is working to educate the community about crime prevention, mainly through the use of social media. That campaign, he said, has helped get information out to the public quickly.

Text SVPD

The department also launched the Text-to-911 program on March 1, which allows residents to text 911 when making a call isn’t possible, according to a SVPD news release.

With texting as one of the most common forms of communication, this service could be a life-saving resource for those who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities, police said. It could also prove useful if a person’s life is in danger, such as during a break-in.

The police department said calling 911 is still the most reliable and preferred method, as not all public safety agencies have the text capability and the service may not be available in certain areas. Additionally, language translation is not available in the texting option.

When it’s your only option, send a text with “911” as the recipient, type a message and hit send. If the service is unavailable, a response text will notify the sender.