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1996 Annual Report
Crimes Against Property

Crimes against property declined 7.7% in 1996 when compared against 1995. The decrease was primarily due to the 12.9% drop in auto thefts. Larcenies declined 6.8% and burglaries fell 6.7%.

This is the third consecutive year that crimes against property have shown a decrease. In 1994, property crimes declined 17.0% followed by a 10.9% fall in 1995. The 6,447 property crimes recorded in 1996 are the fewest since 1973 when 5,999 were reported.

Between 1987 and 1993, property crimes rose an average of 3.4% per year with a 10.8% increase between 1990 and 1991.

Burglary

Burglary is "the unlawful entry of a structure to commit a felony or a theft. The use of force to gain entry is not required to classify an offense as a burglary." This UCR program definition is more restrictive than California law which classifies a theft from a locked motor vehicle as a burglary, but UCR classifies it as a larceny.

Burglary declined 6.7% in 1996 as 1,038 crimes were reported. This represents the fewest number of burglaries in a year dating back to 1963 when 971 were reported. From 1987 to 1989, burglaries continued on a downward trend which had begun in 1983 when 2,357 cases were reported. The year 1990 saw a 13.0% increase and 1991 followed with an 8.9% rise. Burglaries declined .6% and 5.8% in 1992 and 1993, rose 4.6% in 1994, and then fell a dramatic 29.6% in 1995. These relationships are depicted in Figure 17.

For a more detailed look at burglaries, they can be divided into two classes: residential and non-residential. In 1996, residential burglaries declined a negligible .6%. However, this minimal decrease is still remarkable since it was preceded by a 37.5% decline in 1995. From 1987 through 1990, residential burglaries declined 22.9%, an average drop of 7.6% per year. However, in 1991 there was a one-year jump of 26.2%, followed by two successive years of declines. Figure 18 displays residential burglary data from 1987 through 1996.

Non-residential burglaries, depicted in Figure 19, recorded an 11.1% decrease in 1996. This too is remarkable since it follows 1995's decline of 22.5%. From 1987 through 1992, non-residential burglaries climbed 33.8%, an average increase of 6.8% per year. A 4.1% drop occurred in 1993 followed by a fractional increase of .3% in 1994.

Larceny

Larceny is defined by the UCR program as "the unlawful taking, carrying, leading, or riding away of property from the possession or constructive possession of another."

It is synonymous with "theft" and includes such crimes as shoplifting, pickpocketing, purse-snatching, thefts from motor vehicles, thefts of motor vehicle parts and accessories, bicycle thefts, etc., in which there is not any force, violence, or fraud occurring. Motor vehicle theft, worthless checks, forgery, and fraud are excluded from this category.

The UCR larceny category comprised 60.6% of all of the major crimes occurring within Santa Monica City limits during 1996. The UCR program counts all larcenies as equal while California law separates theft into two distinct categories: grand theft and petty theft. Grand theft is punishable as a felony crime while petty theft is a misdemeanor. Generally, the value of the property taken determines whether it is grand theft or petty theft. Property with a value of more than $400.00 is grand theft while $400.00 or less is petty theft.

In 1996, larceny declined 6.8% from the 1995 level. This follows 1995's 5.8% decrease and continues the downward trend which began with 1994. There were 6,181 larcenies reported in 1993 and the 4,469 incidents recorded this year represents a 27.7% decrease from this peak year. It also is the fewest number of larcenies recorded since the 4,060 in 1979.

Thefts from autos continued to account for the largest number of larcenies during the year (43.1%), followed by shoplifts (15.2%), and thefts from buildings (14.2%). Added together, the two categories of thefts from autos and thefts of auto accessories account for 51.4% of the total. These relationships are depicted in Figure 21 while the amounts of larceny losses are illustrated in Figure 22.

Motor Vehicle Theft

Motor vehicle theft is "the theft or attempted theft of a motor vehicle" and includes automobiles, trucks, buses, motorcycles, motor scooters, and snowmobiles, but excludes farm equipment, bulldozers, airplanes, construction equipment, or motorboats.

Motor vehicle theft declined 12.9% in 1996 when compared to the number of thefts in 1995. This decrease follows a 7.5% decline recorded in 1995 and a 33.5% decrease in 1994. The 940 stolen vehicles in 1996 is the fewest number since 1976 when 787 were stolen. From 1987 through 1991, the number of motor vehicle thefts had increased each year. In 1992, the Department began an assertive effort to change this trend and each Department unit developed work plans in order to assist the effort. Vehicle theft declined in 1992 by 11.4% and 1993 saw a slight 4.5% increase.

Of the vehicles stolen in 1996, 691 were recovered, a recovery rate of 73.5%. This is a decline from the previous two years' recovery rates of 76.6% in 1995 and 76.5% in 1994. From 1987 through 1989, the recovery rate averaged 85.5%. But, from 1988 through 1993, an average of only 62.3% of the vehicles stolen were recovered.

Of the 691 vehicles which were recovered in 1995, 222 were recovered within the City of Santa Monica while 469 were recovered in other law enforcement jurisdictions. The Santa Monica Police Department recovered an additional 214 vehicles within the City limits which had been reported stolen in other jurisdictions.

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This page was last modified on 01/26/2008