Police reported today that violent and property crime rates in the city have fallen to historic lows. Here’s a rundown of other annual statistics released today from the San Diego Police Department.
For auto insurance shoppers: Nearly half of reported traffic accidents in San Diego involved hit-and-runs last year. The total number of hit-and-runs decreased by 10 percent, but the ratio stayed the same.
For the fast or furious: Police issued 121,681 traffic citations last year, a 15 percent increase from the previous year. Part of the increase is attributed to more red light photo cameras, which issued twice as many citations last year.
For jailbirds seeking company: About 79,600 people were arrested in 2009, a small drop from the previous year. About three out of every 25 people were arrested for felony crimes. (The other 22 were either accused of misdemeanors or juveniles.)
For abuse victims: The number of domestic violence incidents increased slightly last year. Criminal cases increased by 8 percent and non-criminal cases dropped by 7 percent. The vast majority of abusers used their own hands or another “personal weapon.” About 260 used a gun or knife.
For those seeking equality: Police reported 10 fewer hate crime cases last year (a drop from 57 cases to 47 cases), most of them related to ethnicity or sexual orientation.
For gang members: The number of crimes attributed to gang members was virtually the same last year as the year before. The number of murders, however, dropped by 21 incidents to nine. The number of attempted murders increased from 16 to 20. Police arrested 3,675 gang members last year, slightly more than the previous year.
For the young: More than half of crimes involving juvenile victims occurred between 1:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. The most common crimes were robbery and aggravated assault, which both decreased last year. There was only one juvenile murder victim last year compared to eight in 2008.
For siren chasers: Police were dispatched to 661,000 calls last year, which almost mirrored the number in 2008. The severity of the calls, however, shifted. Police responded to more calls indicating a threat to life and fewer non-urgent calls than the previous year. Police reduced their response times to all three of the most serious call categories.
For blog followers: The number of interesting statistics in this post? Let me know what you’re interested in seeing by posting your thoughts in the comments section.
— KEEGAN KYLE