Stockton No. 1 in violent crime rate
Ellen Thompson
Record Staff Writer
Published Thursday, Oct 5, 2006
A .45-caliber round lies in the street as police investigate the scene of a shooting at Cortez Park in Stockton in 2004, the other year the city topped California’s list of violent-crime ratings.
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Credit: The Record
STOCKTON - A committee formed last year to help Stockton lower its chart-topping crime rate is finalizing its recommendations on the heels of some sobering news: Stockton was the most violent big city in California in 2005 for a second straight year.
Violent crime, a category that includes homicide, aggravated assault, robbery and rape, rose 11 percent in 2005, according to a Record analysis of recently released FBI statistics. The analysis looked at cities with more than 100,000 people.
"Wow," Blue Ribbon Crime Prevention Committee member and former City Councilman Duane Isetti said of the news. "We sure have our work cut out for us, haven't we?"
Isetti and about 40 other community members make up the committee Mayor Ed Chavez tasked with finding ways to lower the city's crime rate in response to the news last year that Stockton was the most violent California city in 2004.
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The committee is prioritizing its recommendations this week and will compile them at a meeting at 3:30 p.m. Oct. 18 at the Cesar Chavez Central Library before presenting them to the City Council. The meeting is open to the public.
Officials and committee members agree it will take time for any changes to result in a fall-off in crime.
"I know that it's a huge issue that we're battling, and I think battling is a good word for it," Vice Mayor Gary Giovanetti said Wednesday. "I don't think it's something you can put on a calendar and say, 'OK, we've turned the corner.' I don't think it's quite that easy."
Stockton police officers investigate the scene of a triple shooting, including a homicide, on Jefferson and Grant streets on Dec. 26 in Stockton. FBI statistics show Stockton with about 15 violent-crime victims per 1,000 residents.
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Credit: CLIFFORD OTO/The Record
Police Chief Wayne Hose said a lot of factors contribute to Stockton's upward trend in violent crime. Those include poverty, gang activity, methamphetamine use and school dropout rates.
Before 2004, crime in Stockton fell had fallen for two years, Hose said.
That put Stockton slightly ahead of a national trend reported by the FBI. In 2005, violent crime rose more than 2 percent nationally after falling for several years, according to the FBI.
Violent crime in Manteca and Tracy rose in 2005 by 10.5 percent and 11 percent, respectively, an analysis showed. In Lodi, violent crime fell by about 10 percent, and it fell slightly in Ripon. The rates in those cities ranged from the lowest of about two victims of violent crime per 1,000 residents in Ripon to almost five victims per 1,000 residents in Manteca. That compares with about 15 violent-crime victims per 1,000 residents in Stockton.
Credit: K. Firth/The Record
In 2004, Stockton police responded to 40 homicides, compared with 41 in 2005; 108 rapes were reported to Stockton police in 2004, compared with 109 last year; police investigated 1,187 robberies in 2004, compared with 1,357 last year; and in 2004, police responded to 2,365 aggravated assaults, compared with 2,695 in 2005.
The city has responded to news of topping California cities for crime in 2004 by authorizing 40 new police positions, focusing on high-crime areas and creating a public education campaign.
For north Stockton resident Frances Garcia, 51, the number that counts when it comes to crime is five - the number of grandchildren she has living in the city.
Credit: K. Firth/The Record
"God gives us these children for us to be caregivers for them," Garcia said. "There's always concern about crime. All you have to do is walk out your door and you're there."
Ellen Thompson
Record Staff Writer
Published Thursday, Oct 5, 2006
A .45-caliber round lies in the street as police investigate the scene of a shooting at Cortez Park in Stockton in 2004, the other year the city topped California’s list of violent-crime ratings.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Credit: The Record
STOCKTON - A committee formed last year to help Stockton lower its chart-topping crime rate is finalizing its recommendations on the heels of some sobering news: Stockton was the most violent big city in California in 2005 for a second straight year.
Violent crime, a category that includes homicide, aggravated assault, robbery and rape, rose 11 percent in 2005, according to a Record analysis of recently released FBI statistics. The analysis looked at cities with more than 100,000 people.
"Wow," Blue Ribbon Crime Prevention Committee member and former City Councilman Duane Isetti said of the news. "We sure have our work cut out for us, haven't we?"
Isetti and about 40 other community members make up the committee Mayor Ed Chavez tasked with finding ways to lower the city's crime rate in response to the news last year that Stockton was the most violent California city in 2004.
::: Advertisement :::
The committee is prioritizing its recommendations this week and will compile them at a meeting at 3:30 p.m. Oct. 18 at the Cesar Chavez Central Library before presenting them to the City Council. The meeting is open to the public.
Officials and committee members agree it will take time for any changes to result in a fall-off in crime.
"I know that it's a huge issue that we're battling, and I think battling is a good word for it," Vice Mayor Gary Giovanetti said Wednesday. "I don't think it's something you can put on a calendar and say, 'OK, we've turned the corner.' I don't think it's quite that easy."
Stockton police officers investigate the scene of a triple shooting, including a homicide, on Jefferson and Grant streets on Dec. 26 in Stockton. FBI statistics show Stockton with about 15 violent-crime victims per 1,000 residents.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Credit: CLIFFORD OTO/The Record
Police Chief Wayne Hose said a lot of factors contribute to Stockton's upward trend in violent crime. Those include poverty, gang activity, methamphetamine use and school dropout rates.
Before 2004, crime in Stockton fell had fallen for two years, Hose said.
That put Stockton slightly ahead of a national trend reported by the FBI. In 2005, violent crime rose more than 2 percent nationally after falling for several years, according to the FBI.
Violent crime in Manteca and Tracy rose in 2005 by 10.5 percent and 11 percent, respectively, an analysis showed. In Lodi, violent crime fell by about 10 percent, and it fell slightly in Ripon. The rates in those cities ranged from the lowest of about two victims of violent crime per 1,000 residents in Ripon to almost five victims per 1,000 residents in Manteca. That compares with about 15 violent-crime victims per 1,000 residents in Stockton.
Credit: K. Firth/The Record
In 2004, Stockton police responded to 40 homicides, compared with 41 in 2005; 108 rapes were reported to Stockton police in 2004, compared with 109 last year; police investigated 1,187 robberies in 2004, compared with 1,357 last year; and in 2004, police responded to 2,365 aggravated assaults, compared with 2,695 in 2005.
The city has responded to news of topping California cities for crime in 2004 by authorizing 40 new police positions, focusing on high-crime areas and creating a public education campaign.
For north Stockton resident Frances Garcia, 51, the number that counts when it comes to crime is five - the number of grandchildren she has living in the city.
Credit: K. Firth/The Record
"God gives us these children for us to be caregivers for them," Garcia said. "There's always concern about crime. All you have to do is walk out your door and you're there."
