Violent crimes down, property crimes up for first six months this year

Crime in Laguna Beach was up 21% in the first six months of the year compared with the first half of 2014, thanks in large part to an increase in property crimes, according to police statistics.

Cases of larceny and auto theft totaled 304. With 95 violent crimes such as assault and robbery added in, Laguna Beach police reported 399 total crimes to the FBI, 69 more than the same period last year.

Violent crimes decreased 21% from last year, to 95 offenses — 88 assaults and seven rapes and robberies.

Of the 88 assaults, 40 were related to domestic violence, while the remaining 48 were a combination of alcohol-fueled fights at bars and restaurants, road rage incidents and assaults on police officers. The seven rapes and robberies were two less than last year.

Police reported no murders for the third straight year.

The 304 property crimes are 90 more than the number reported in 2014. These include thefts from unlocked cars and items left unattended.

Councilman Robert Zur Schmiede said it’s important to place the numbers in context.

“We’re a very low-crime community,” Zur Schmiede said. “Any uptick will present itself as a significant percentage.”

Laguna Police Chief Laura Farinella attributed the increases in part to Proposition 47, the 2014 voter-approved measure that downgraded drug possession and several property crimes from felonies to misdemeanors. For instance, stealing valuables worth $950 or less is now a misdemeanor.

“We’re seeing [crime increases] across the state,” Farinella said. “Now officers write a ticket and the person is on their way. They don’t go to court, so there is no discussion about rehab. It’s a cycle and people aren’t getting intervention.”

But proponents hail Proposition 47 as a way of easing prison overcrowding and helping criminals rebuild their lives.

The law does “not decriminalize these offenses nor take away law enforcement’s ability to incarcerate,” Wayne Hughes wrote in a commentary published in the Orange County Register. Hughes is founder of Serving California, a foundation that helps crime victims, the formerly incarcerated and veterans.

Proposition 47 opponents claim enrollment in drug treatment programs has dropped, possibly a sign that addicts no longer feel pressured to kick their habit.

While Farinella has repeatedly said that “you can’t arrest your way out of a situation,” sometimes arrests are warranted, she said.

“If you arrest someone, it holds them accountable,” Farinella said. “It puts them on a path where they have to go to court no matter what.”

Laguna Beach police arrested 173 more people from January through June than during the same period in 2014, and calls for service increased by more than 2,700 from a year ago.

Farinella is encouraged that residents are calling the department.

“I need to know where service is needed to place officers,” she said.

Though crime is up, the numbers are nowhere near those seen in the 1980s and ‘90s, Capt. Jason Kravetz said.

In 1993, Laguna police recorded 146 auto thefts, he said. There were 23 in the first six months of this year.

“We train better and use technology,” Farinella explained.

Kravetz said 15 cameras in public places such as intersections and crosswalks have helped. A dispatcher can watch a situation unfold and relay messages to officers like whether it’s safe to enter an area or if a suspect is armed.

License plate readers allow police to quickly check the numbers against a database of stolen vehicles.

Laguna’s police cars have cameras and officers wear recorders on their belts so they have proof of what a suspect said. Cameras and recorders also hold officers accountable, Farinella said.

Police have discussed testing body cameras, but Farinella said the current system of car cameras and belt recorders is working.

Body cameras can be bulky, she said.

“We’ll be ready to go forward [with testing body cameras] if legislation passes or they have the right technology,” Farinella said.

Mayor Pro Tem Steve Dicterow said he is concerned when crime increases but added, “The more important issue is what can we do about it?”

Farinella said she will work with other police chiefs in the state to craft legislation that could repeal some or all of Proposition 47.