Oceanside CA-The San Diego Association of Governments, SANDAG, released its 2013 Crime Statistics for San Diego County, on Wednesday.
The overall crime rate for the San Diego area dropped 5% compared to 2012. The crime rate for Oceanside, in the same period, rose 2% in the FBI Crime Rate Index per 1,000 people. Vista was up 4%. The rate for other North County cities dropped; Carlsbad was down 4%, Solana Beach -5%, San Marcos -6%, Del Mar -14%. Encinitas had a drop in the rate of crimes per 1,000 people of-17% and Fallbrook was down -34%. The FBI Crime Index includes homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, and motor vehicle theft.
There were 72 homicides in the San Diego region in 2013, a 33 percent decrease from 2012, when there were 107. More homicides in 2013 were tied to an argument, compared to 2012, and fewer were gang-motivated. In addition, the number of homicides related to child abuse decreased from 13 in 2012 to 2 in 2013.
“What we are seeing in the San Diego region is consistent with what other large cities are seeing throughout the United States – crime rates that remain at record lows,” said SANDAG Criminal Justice Research Director Dr. Cynthia Burke.
“Public safety realignment, as enacted under AB 109, does not appear to have resulted in an increased number of violent crimes reported to law enforcement in San Diego or most other California cities,” Burke said. “But AB 109 may be one factor in property crimes holding steady or seeing slight increases in this region, while other places in the country are experiencing continuing declines.”
Property crime per 1,000 people, in Oceanside, was up 4% and Vista was up 8% all other North County cities saw a drop in property crimes with Fallbrook seeing the largest decrease, -32%. FBI Index property crimes include larceny, burglary, and motor vehicle theft.
The number of FBI Index Crimes in Oceanside was 5,128 in 2013 as compared to 5,017 in 2012, up 2%. Violent crimes including homicide, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault were down for Oceanside 634 in 2013 compared to 728 the year before. The number of property crimes rose 5%, 4,289 in 2012 and 4,494 last year.
Oceanside saw a drop of -5% in Domestic Violence crimes with 858 reported in 2013.
Number of crimes in Oceanside by offense in 2013 were; 9 homicides, 41 reported rapes, 182 robberies, 402 aggravated assaults, 488 residential burglaries, 400 motor vehicle thefts and 24 arson cases.
Oceanside’s violent crime “clearance rate” was at 43 percent while Carlsbad had the third highest rate in the county at 71%. The ‘clearance rate’ refers to cases that are resolved.
The dollar value of property stolen in Oceanside was down -23 percent $5,843,872 in 2013 compared to $7,543,192 in 2012. Dollar amounts are not adjusted for inflation and reflect the reported dollar values associated with stolen items.
The dollar value of property recovered in Oceanside was down -80 percent, $494,015 compared to $2,412,052 worth of property recovered in 2012. The rate of property recovered in Oceanside last year was also down -24% compared to 2012.
Here are the quick facts compiled by SANDAG

• The 2013 regional violent crime rate of 3.66 per 1,000 population was the second lowest in the past 30 years and represented a 5 percent decrease from 2012.
• There were 72 homicides in the San Diego region in 2013, a 33 percent decrease from 2012 when there were 107. More homicides in 2013 were tied to an argument, compared to 2012, and fewer were gang-motivated. In addition, the number of homicides related to child abuse decreased from 13 in 2012 to 2 in 2013.
• The number of robberies reported across the region decreased 4 percent overall, but the number of bank robberies increased 22 percent, from 79 in 2012 to 96 in 2013.
• Eighteen percent (18%) of robberies and 11 percent of aggravated assaults involved the use of a firearm in 2013.
• Property crime rates were up slightly over the past year (<1%), with the increase tied to a greater number of larcenies.
• The total value of property stolen on any one day in the San Diego region in 2013 was almost $482,000 and only 18 percent of it was recovered.
• While residential burglaries were down in 2013, non-residential burglaries were up. Over half (54%) of all burglaries involved no forced entry.
• The number of reported motor vehicle thefts was at a 30-year low in 2013, down to 11,288, a decrease of 8 percent from 2012.
• The number of violent crimes against senior citizens was up slightly over the past year (4%), as was the number of domestic violence crimes reported to law enforcement.

To see the entire report released by SANDAG, you can download the PDF here [Link]