Violent Crime Rising in State, Lockyer Says

Rising gang violence, heavy drug use, and growing economic and social frustrations in California’s largest cities are part of the reason for an upswing in violent crime throughout the state, officials said Friday.

Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer, announcing the increases Thursday, reported that homicides increased 16% throughout the state during the first six months of 2002, compared with the same period the previous year.

While crime actually dropped in many areas of the state, violent crime increases were heaviest in some of the state’s largest cities coping with a higher incidence of gang violence.

The Los Angeles Police Department reported 81 more homicides during the first half of this year compared with the same period last year. The total in Fresno doubled, from 14 to 28, in the same period. Homicides in Oakland jumped from 36 to 49. And Long Beach reported 31 compared with 21 during the first six months of 2001.

While Lockyer and other law enforcement officials stressed that it can be dangerous to read too much into statistical shifts from year to year, the attorney general made it clear that big city gang problems are among the chief contributing factors to the overall rise in killings.

“Local law enforcement agencies and city officials are working hard to find ways to battle violence in their streets,” Lockyer said. “While curbing crime always is a daunting task, it is made especially difficult when gang activity is up and the economy is down.”

In addition to the 16% increase in homicides in areas that report crime statistics to the state, there was a 3.3% overall increase in violent crimes and a nearly 10% jump in property crimes. San Francisco, San Jose, Stockton and Fremont did not report figures on time and were not included in the state compilation, officials said.

In Southern California, there were dramatic contrasts from county to county. Orange County reported violent crimes down 21% and property crimes down by 31%, but the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said violent crimes increased 15.7% and property crimes were up 10%.

In Los Angeles County, areas covered by the Sheriff’s Department saw an increase of 4.9% in violent crimes and 8.9% in property crimes. The LAPD reported a 5.4% increase in violent crimes and a 5.7% climb in property crimes.

Violent crime was down in San Diego, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, but up in San Bernardino County. Property crime increased in all four of them.

Hallye Jordan, a spokeswoman for the attorney general’s office, called the statistics “a snapshot” that helps officials understand crime trends.

“These are only preliminary figures, but it does help us gauge what’s going on there,” she said. “Gang violence is definitely part of this, especially in certain areas. Much of the crime can be traced back to gang activity.”

Jordan said Lockyer believes that the statistics reinforce the need for preventive community programs “helping families to be safe and strong.”

But the reasons for crime increases or decreases defy any simple answers, she said.

Local police officials generally agreed with Lockyer that the rising crime figures suggest that law enforcement budgets must be protected despite government budget problems.

But others saw rising crime as a sign of deep social problems beyond law enforcement’s control.

Mimi Silbert, president of the Delancy Street Foundation in San Francisco, one of the country’s leading programs for drug addicts and ex-convicts, said she has seen an increasingly violent and angry population even in her own program in recent years.

“The underclass is getting more and more trapped and angry, and revenge is permeating the social mentality,” she said. “It’s horrifying. Gangs are getting stronger and stronger, and revenge and hatred are everywhere.

“Some look at the world situation and say, ‘Everybody is taking revenge; why shouldn’t I?’ It’s absolutely worse than I have ever seen it in over 30-something years in this field.

“Duh! Yeah, murder is up. There is no one I know who is not going absolutely nuts.”

Mike Van Winkle, a spokesman for the state Department of Justice, said the six-month preliminary figures have proven to be a good indicator of yearly crime trends in recent years.

“After steady decreases throughout the ‘90s, it started up again in 2000,” he said.

“We all talk about the growing gang problem, but I’m not sure anybody has the ability to really pinpoint the causes. The big cities clearly lead the trend. If you eliminate them, homicides would be just about even in the rest of the state.”

The overall crime increase for those areas that reported, about two-thirds of the state, was 7.5%, Lockyer said.