The Simi Valley Police Department has released its Part I Crime Statistics for 2018 (Attached). Part I crimes include Homicide, Rape, Robbery, Aggravated Assault, Burglary, Larceny Theft, Auto Theft, and Arson. Overall, there was a 15.29 percent drop in Part I crimes for 2018. Over the past three years, there had been slight increases in overall crime in the City, especially property crimes, so the significant decrease is welcome news. During 2018, property crimes went down substantially in all categories reflecting an 18.46 percent decrease. Burglaries, which have been increasing over past years dropped 23.56 percent. Chief Livingstone attributes the drop in property crimes to a new strategic approach he calls “mission oriented policing,” which combines the use of social media for regular crime prevention alerts and the focused direction of patrol resources towards known problem areas. During 2017, the Department investigated numerous thefts and burglaries from unlocked vehicles and homes, which prompted the regular crime prevention alerts in 2018. The Department has benefitted significantly from its strong partnership with the community and their willingness to report and take an active role in the prevention of crime.
Unfortunately, the City’s violent crimes reflected an overall 16.3 percent increase from 2017. Simi Valley has not had a homicide since 2015, but the increased violent crime stems specifically from robberies and rapes. There were 17 more robberies and 14 more rapes reported in 2018 than in 2017. Of the robberies reported to the Department in 2018, the majority of these began as shoplifting incidents that became robberies when the suspects used physical force to assault and flee from store security officers. The businesses targeted were grocery, hardware, department, and general merchandise stores. An additional 5 robberies involved suspects who used firearms to hold up convenience stores, but in 4 of those 5 cases, the suspects were captured by officers and prosecuted. In many of the robberies, the victims and suspects were known to each other. More than 50 percent of the total robberies reported to the Police resulted in the arrest of the suspect(s).
The number of rapes reported to the Department have steadily increased over the past two years. This is a significant development and the “me too” movement has played a role in helping to make victims more comfortable in reporting these heinous crimes. Sadly, in the majority of these cases, the suspect was someone known to the victim and in many instances was someone very close such as a dating partner. In some of them, the suspect and victim met using online dating apps. In 9 of the cases, the suspect(s) used alcohol and/or drugs to coerce the victim. Out of the 46 rapes reported to the Department in 2018, 19 of these cases resulted in the arrest of the suspect(s). The other cases are still under investigation or have been inactivated due to a lack of investigative leads; some have been unfounded.
While the Department is pleased with the overall decrease in crime during 2018 and the City remains a safe place to live and work, the Department management and staff are actively working on strategies to address the increases in violent crimes.
Questions regarding the 2018 Part I Crimes can be directed to Chief Livingstone.
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