The Glendale Police Department has released the 2011 crime statistics showing an overall reduction in both Part 1 and Part 2 crimes.

According to a release by Glendale Police Department:

Part 1 crimes, reported to the FBI, are comprised of eight specific crime types used to make jurisdictional comparisons. They include the violent crime categories of homicide, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault; and the property crime categories of burglary, auto theft, larceny, and arson.

Part 1 crimes, for 2011 were down a total of 7%, ensuring that Glendale remains in the top 10 “Safest Cities” in California with a population of 100,000 or more.

The Police Department was very pleased to see an overall 6% reduction specifically in the violent crime categories, which was highlighted by a notable 9% drop in reported robberies.

In 2011, Part 1 property crimes revealed a 7% decrease from the previous year. Burglaries were reduced by 3% and auto burglaries by 12%. Auto theft was down 2%, although petty theft saw a slight increase of 4%. However, the most significant decrease in property crime was realized in the “Grand Theft” category; a total of 201 fewer reports than 2010 which equates to a 41% reduction.

Additionally, all other crime categories not included under Part 1 (identified as Part 2 crimes) were down a total of 17% for the same time period. Of special note is the progress made in addressing the emerging crime trend of “identity theft.”

In recent years, Glendale had experienced a rise in identity theft crimes. However, there was a 17% decrease noted in 2010 and an even more impressive decrease of 49% in 2011. The Glendale Police Department has made a concerted effort to aggressively investigate these crimes, joining state and federal law enforcement partners in bringing these violators to justice. Additionally, GPD have invested time and resources in a public education campaign to help community members protect themselves from falling victim to identity theft.

Other special crime categories that had notable reductions in 2011 included domestic violence, down 8%, and vandalism (including graffiti), down 12%.

Area command policing strategies have been effective in these areas that are traditionally difficult to address with standard policing responses. 

Despite the loss of 18 sworn positions over the last several years of the economic recession, the Glendale Police Department has continued to effectively fight crime in the community by utilizing several key strategies. These concepts have included an “Area Command” reorganization of the Department; the development of a robust crime analysis system entitled “iLEAD”; the employment of a variety of enabling technologies, such as video surveillance and automatic license plate readers; and the building of effective partnerships with the community, utilizing the formation of neighborhood watch groups and area command “town hall” meetings.

“I am very proud of what we have been able to do this past year for the city of Glendale and although we have employed several strategies to make the department efficient, building partnerships with our diverse community has been key to our success,” said Chief Ron De Pompa. “We have made great strides in diversifying our Department through our recruitment efforts, allowing us to connect better with our community.”

Download Crime Stat reports at http://www.ci.glendale.ca.us/police/Reports.asp