The crime rate in Palmdale continues to decline. With a 5.84 percent decrease in the number of Part 1 crimes (e.g. murder, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault) reported last year, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department announced that Palmdale’s overall crime rate has been reduced to 246 crimes per 10,000 in population.
The 2015 crime rate in Palmdale stands at the lowest level in more than two decades. It has dropped by 53 percent, from a rate of 467.71 (per 10,000 population) to the current level.
The findings mark the seventh consecutive year that Palmdale’s crime rate has been below the 300-crimes-per-10,000 mark, a number that reportedly places the city in a category of having a reputation as a “safe city.” In 2007, Palmdale set a five-year goal to work with the Sheriff’s Department and the community to lower the crime rate below 300 by 2012.
“The crime reduction we have seen in the city of Palmdale is the result of a collaborative effort involving the Sheriff’s Department, city staff, community involvement, and the support of our local leaders,” said Dennis Kneer, Palmdale Sheriff’s acting captain. “We will continue working together to make Palmdale a safer place for all of us.”
In 2014, homicides in Palmdale were down 22 percent, aggravated assault down 6 percent, burglary down 8 percent and larceny reduced by 14 percent. There remains so-called “hot spots” in crime which include grand theft auto (up 36 percent), with 445 incidents reported last year, up from 335 in 2014. Robbery was also up last year by 9 percent and rapes had reportedly increased by 19 percent. Officials cautioned that the later crime increase may be influenced by the FBI’s new classification of rape. In total, there were 3,840 crimes committed in Palmdale in 2015, down from 4,078 in 2014.
“Embracing the concept of community policing, where law enforcement, city staff, businesses and residents come together as partners has been very successful in Palmdale,” said Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford. “The results speak for themselves.”
For more details, call (661) 267-5181. The latest city video, “This Is How We Roll,” discusses the crime report in detail and may be accessed at www.cityofpalmdale.org/Residents/Neighborhood-services.
