A recently published report by the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) has found that San Diego has become a safer city since 1981.
The report details data about violent and property crimes in the city over the last 25 years
“Longitudinal data allows not only us, but also law enforcement and policy makers to look at trends over time. It helps us focus our efforts,” said Sandy Keaton, senior research analyst at SANDAG.
According to Keaton, long-term statistics like those in the report fluctuate depending on factors, such as legislation, changes in community policing, awareness, crime reporting rates and even the economy.
The statistics help policy makers and law enforcement officials understand what is working and what needs more attention.
The SANDAG study mapped the trends of seven of the most widely reported violent and property crimes. Violent crimes included homicide, rape, robbery and the most common, aggravated assault. Property crimes included burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft.
According to the report, most of the seven categories of crime have shown a gradual decrease over the last quarter-century.
Since 1981, violent crime in the San Diego area had been on the rise until it peaked in 1992. Since then the number of incidents per 1000 residents has steadily decreased from 9.8 to 4.5, which is below the national average.
Similarly, the rate of property crime is much lower now than it was in 1981, having reached its peak in 1990 and its 25-year low in 2001. Though the rate has been slowly rising since then, it has remained below the national average since 1996. According to Keaton, the rising property crime rate reflects an increase in motor vehicle theft.
The report has also allowed SANDAG to compare San Diego to other major cities in the United States. The results show that San Diego has a relatively low level of crime, ranking third in the nation for the lowest amount of violent crime and fifth for property crime.
“I think it’s optimistic,” Keaton said. “I think it’s a positive message for the next 25 years in San Diego. It’s definitely the way we want to be going.”
SANDAG’s full report, “25 Years of Crime in the San Diego Region: 1981 through 2005,” can be downloaded from the organization’s Web site at www.sandag.org.