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The Visalia Police Department says overall crime was down 7 percent in the city in 2018 compared to the year before. There were decreases in all property crimes categories and most violent crimes.But police Chief Jason Salazar says “we saw a 3% increase in total calls for service (Police, Fire, and Animal Control) and a 4% increase in Police Calls For Service for a total of 136,374 police calls for service.“
He adds that “there was an increase in sexual assaults reported but no particular trend identified.” Forcible rapes climbed in 2018 to 107 incidents from 81 in 2017.
In the serious crime category homicides deceased from 9 in 2017 to 3. Robberies declined from 144 in 2017 to 138 in 2018. Meanwhile assaults rose from 1278 in 2017 to 1298. The trend shows a decline from 2016 when we recorded 1453 incidents.
Also burglaries dropped in 2018 by 11% from 839 to 748. They have dropped further from 1000 incidents in 2016.
As for motor vehicle theft – a category Visalia made the national news in the past for – the numbers as also down in 2018 some 12% with 529 cars stolen compared to 604 in 2017.It is down from 641 thefts in 2016.
And here is another hopeful sign – Crimes by adults in Visalia were up 3% but crimes attributed to juveniles dropped in 2018 from 460 in 2017 to 280 incidents, a 39% decrease.
And here is another hopeful sign – Crimes by adults in Visalia were up 3% but crimes attributed to juveniles dropped in 2018 from 460 in 2017 to 280 incidents, a 39% decrease.
Chief Salazar adds “The men and women of the Visalia Police Department work hard to be responsive to the needs of this community and to provide for its public safety. I’m proud of the work they do and the relationships we have with our community partners to achieve those goals and we will continue to work to improve our public safety and quality of life here in Visalia.”
Improved numbers in 2018 could have to do with a local sales tax measure to improve public safety passed in 2016. Measure N is a local sales tax increase for the purpose of providing for Visalia’s essential services (Police, Fire, roads, and Parks & Recreation). As a result of Measure N, 30 new Visalia Police officers and 12 additional professional staff will be hired over 10 years – 13 of those Police Officers were hired in FY17/18.
Visalia appears to be not the only community in the state that has seen fewer crimes recently. The Fresno Bee reported in November that overall crime in Fresno was down 12.8 percent in 2018 according to Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer.
Likewise in Los Angles where the LA Times reported ” For the first time in five years, violent crime was down in Los Angeles in 2018, with the number of homicides on track to be among the lowest in more than 50 years.” The trend mirrors stats from both San Francisco and Oakland.
An increase in recent years had prompted a” debate over whether statewide criminal justice reforms, including Proposition 47, which passed in November 2014 and has kept some low-level offenders out of jail, contributed to the upswing in crime.” notes the Times.