City’s crime rate continues to topple

Sexual assaults down 70 percent over 2012



 

 

Violent crimes in Thousand Oaks were down 11 percent and property crimes decreased 13 percent in 2013 due to a reduction in the number of grand and petty thefts and arson cases, according to TOPD Sgt. Eric Buschow.

The crime rate was 13.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in 2013, down from 15.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in 2012 and 15.2 in 2011 in T.O., the largest of the five cities in the county that contract for police services with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office. The other cities are Camarillo, Moorpark, Fillmore and Ojai.

“Historically, Thousand Oaks has had a low crime rate for the size of the city,” Buschow said. “It speaks well to the community as a whole and community involvement, but there’s always room for improvement.”

There were 1,755 reported part I crimes in 2013, down from 2,015 crimes in 2012, according to figures released by the VCSO.

Part I crime statistics cover the most serious offenses: thefts, burglaries, robberies, arson, assaults, rapes and homicides.

While incidents of most crimes went down last year, the number of reported residential burglaries spiked 7 percent between 2012 and 2013, from 188 to 202 reported offenses.

The number of cases of aggravated assault and auto theft also increased slightly, from 88 to 90 and 90 to 91, respectively.

One case of aggravated assault last year involved a firearm, compared to five assaults with a firearm the previous year.

On the positive side, reports of rape decreased between 2012 and 2013 from 23 to seven. The statistic showed a reversal: The number of reported rapes in the city had doubled between 2011 and 2012—from 10 to 23 reported offenses, the highest number of rapes in the city since 2000.

Buschow said that in many of the cases, the suspects and victims knew each other and one or both of them had consumed alcohol.

“(The sheriff’s office) did outreach with local schools to provide some information to help people avoid situations where they might become victims of sexual assault,” Buschow said, and as a result, “There was a significant decrease in sexual assaults in 2013.”

There were no homicides in T.O. in 2013 or 2012, when the city went without a homicide for the first time since 2006.

In the last two decades there have been no more than three homicides in one year. That happened three times, in 2000, 1996 and 1993.

Also down: robbery, from 46 to 42 reported cases; nonresidential burglary, 90 to 89; grand theft, 629 to 499; petty theft, 841 to 723; and arson, 20 to 12.

Petty theft was the most-reported crime in all the cities that contract with VCSO, including T.O., where it accounted for about 40 percent of all crimes.

The next most-frequent crime was grand theft—the taking of property valued at more than $950—which made up about 28 percent of crimes in T.O. Other crimes were residential burglary, 11.5 percent; other types of burglary, aggravated assault and auto theft, about 5 percent each; robbery, 2 percent; and rape, less than 1 percent.

Buschow said that most property crimes are avoidable. The sergeant has seen vehicles with their engines running in the parking lot of Starbucks while the owners are inside buying coffee.

“That is just asking for trouble,” he said. “The downside of a low crime rate is it creates a false sense of security for people. A lot of people get complacent. They need to be aware that even though we enjoy a relatively low crime rate, it doesn’t mean there’s no crime.”

He reminded people to lock their homes and vehicles and not to leave valuables there in plain view.

Most property crimes are crimes of opportunity, he said, and a potential burglar who comes across a locked car and doesn’t see anything valuable inside likely won’t waste time trying to break in.

Buschow also asked city residents to report suspicious activity, even if they’re not sure a crime is being committed. A few years ago, someone saw three men holding a safe climb over a wall behind a house and drive away, but the witness didn’t get the license plate number or report the incident to police.

“People need to look out for each other,” he said.

Overall, reported crime is down an average of 6 percent in the sheriff’s office jurisdiction, but there were more reported crimes in Moorpark and Camarillo between 2012 and 2013 due to increases in property crimes, including burglary and theft, VCSO reported.


SHERIFF’S PIE—The crime rate in Thousand Oaks was down last year over 2012, according to a report from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office. While residential burglaries and auto thefts increased, the number of violent crimes and sexual assaults went down. Petty theft was far and away the most frequent Part I crime.

SHERIFF’S PIE—The crime rate in Thousand Oaks was down last year over 2012, according to a report from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office. While residential burglaries and auto thefts increased, the number of violent crimes and sexual assaults went down. Petty theft was far and away the most frequent Part I crime.