HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-11-18; Arrest Statistics (Districts - All); Williams, Mickeyr
To the members of the:
Cl1Y COUNCIL
Date 1.11'1"iJ21cA ~CC ~
cM ~L ocM(3)_v_
Council Memorandum
Nov. 18, 2021
To:
.From:
Via:
Re:
Honorable Mayor
Mickey Williams, ch·
Scott Chadwick, City a a
Arrest Statistics (Districts -All)
{city of
Carlsbad
Memo ID# 2021214
This memorandum provides information related to the Police Department's arrest statistics.
Background
The San Diego Association of Governments (SAN DAG) is publishing the "CJ Bulletin Arrests '2019
and 2020: Law Enforcement Response to Crime in the San Diego Region." The report is produced
on an annual basis to summarize arrests made in San Diego County.
Discussion
This year's report shows the arrest rates were lower in 2020 across San Diego County when
compared to previous arrest rates in 2019, and arrest rates were at a seven-year low from 2014-
2020.
Figure 1
2020 Arre5t Rate5 per l,000 Population by Juri-sdiction and One-Year Decrea~es in Arrest ~tes 2019-2020
Police Department
Administration
2560 Orion Way I Carlsbad, CA 92010 I 760-931-210
Council Memo -Arrest Statistics (Districts -All)
Nov. 18,2021
Page 2
The report also shows that Carlsbad was among the jurisdictions that had the lowest arrest rate,
at 7.7 per 1,000 population. An analysis was conducted to research what has driven the reduced
arrest rates since 2016 in Carlsbad and what other contributing factors played a role.
The breakdown of arrests by type in Carlsbad shows that the Police Department made the least
arrests in robberies, burglaries, and petty theft, and had a decrease in grand theft compared to
previous years. These trends are consistent with the city's crime rates in the same areas, as
Carlsbad had the lowest rates in robberies, burglaries, and petty thefts in 2020.
250
200
1200
1000 -·--·
Rape
600 ·--·--·-----
400
Murder Rape
5-Year Arrests
Robbery Felony Assault Burglary Petty Theft Grand Theft Auto Theft
2016 2017 o 2018 2019 2020
5-Vea r Crime Rat e
ln1· --u -DI
Robbery Felony Assault Burglary Petty Theft Grand Theft Auto Theft
2016 2017 0 2018 Ill 2019 0 2020
The report notes a significant decrease in property crime arrests in San Diego County from 2016
to 2020, with a drop of 49% for adults and 63% for juveniles, with the biggest decrease in petty
theft and burglary (55% decrease for adults and 45% decrease for juveniles). Again, this is in line
with the crime rates from 2016-2020, which shows that there was a decrease in burglaries and
petty thefts from 2016 to 2020.
Council Memo -Arrest Statistics (Districts -All)
Nov. 18, 2021
Page 3
Another factor to include is Prop 47, which passed in 2014 and reduced a number of property
and drug related offenses from felonies to misdemeanors, as this likely played a role in the
overall decrease. Although San Diego County initially saw an increase in misdemeanor arrests in
2015, the rate decreased in 2016 and continued to drop every year since then, to 22.5 in 2019
and 14.0 in 2020. Carlsbad's decrease is in line with the rest of San Diego County's arrest rates in
this area as well.
It is also important to note that the COVID~19 pandemic likely played a role in the decrease of
arrests. As noted on the report, the stay-at-home orders and event cancellations created fewer
opportunities for crimes to occur, thus resulting in less arrests. There were also delays in court
proceedings which led to an increase in the unsentenced population, and the "zero bail" policy
was enacted, which resulted in fewer subjects being detained. With remote learning in session,
mandated reporters did not have the same opportunities to report crimes or identify victims, and
some jurisdictions, including Carlsbad, had to modify the level and type of proactive contacts
made.
Next Steps
SAN DAG will be publishing this report on Nov. 19, 2021 with a press release the following week
on Nov. 23, 2021.
cc: Scott Chadwick, City Manager
Celia Brewer, City Attorney
Cindy Anderson, Senior Management Analyst