This Month

SANDAG newsletter
provides information
on key projects & services

Compass Cards arrive!
Get in gear with
Bike to Work Day 2009
SANDAG presents
Diamond Awards

Regional crime rate hits
25-year low
Transit public opinion
survey released

SANDAG Board adopts
stimulus spending plan
SANDAG helps San Diego
Stand for Less
Actions from the March
Board of Directors meeting

Regional crime rate hits 25-year low

The rates of both violent crime and property crime dropped in the San Diego region during 2008, with both hitting 25-year lows, according to the SANDAG annual regional crime bulletin.

“In spite of short-term factors, such as the downturn in the economy, crime rates continued to drop in San Diego County in 2008,” said Dr. Cynthia Burke, SANDAG director of criminal justice research.

The Twenty-Five Years of Crime in the San Diego Region: 1984 through 2008 report released by SANDAG details crimes for all 18 cities and the unincorporated area of the county. It serves as a tool for local law enforcement agencies in gauging the success of enforcement strategies and crime prevention programs.

There were 4.09 violent crimes per 1,000 residents in the county during 2008, a 7 percent decrease from the year before and less than half the 25-year high of 9.76 reached in 1992. (Violent crimes include homicide, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault.)

Property crimes also dropped to 25-year lows, with 26.79 per 1,000 residents, down 8 percent from the previous year. Property crimes hit a 25-year high in 1988, with 67.26 incidents per 1,000 residents. (Property crimes include burglary, larceny theft, and motor vehicle theft.)

Other interesting facts in this year’s report include:

• There were 90 homicides in the San Diego region in 2008, the third lowest number in the past 25 years.

• After five consecutive increases, the number of robberies decreased 8 percent in 2008, compared to 2007.

• While the number of burglaries that involved entry through an open or unlocked door or window declined in 2008, the number involving forced entry increased 12 percent from the previous year.

• Motor vehicle thefts decreased 18 percent from 2007, more than any other property crime. However, thefts of motor vehicle parts increased 9 percent.

• Firearms were used less frequently in both robberies and aggravated assaults in 2008, compared to 2007.

• According to preliminary statistics, there were 118 hate crime events reported to local law enforcement in 2008.

Project Manager

Cynthia Burke, Division Director, Criminal Justice Research
Phone: (619) 699-1910, E-mail: cbu@sandag.org