Antelope Valley Crime Rate Was Overstated, Sheriff Says

Although the FBI reported earlier this week that crime is on the rise in the Antelope Valley, Los Angeles County Sheriff Sherman Block said Wednesday that the federal numbers are a bit misleading.

Meeting with reporters at his monthly press briefing, Block said that although the number of crimes committed in Lancaster and Palmdale may be up, the crime rate itself in those areas is down significantly. The rate takes into account the population of a community, which in Palmdale and Lancaster has increased significantly while the crimes reported have not increased in proportion.

“The Antelope Valley seemed to be out of sync with everyone else--where crime had gone down, they had actually gone up,” Block said. “If you look at the number of crimes, that’s an accurate statement. But considering the population growth from 1992 through 1996, the crime rate in the area is actually down by 17%.”

The population in Palmdale was 79,000 in 1992 and is now more than 114,000. The number of major felony crimes per 10,000 people has declined 22% in that period, from 595 to 471, Block said. The same comparison in the city of Lancaster reveals an 18% drop, he said, from 598 to 488.

But Block also said there may be more criminals living in the Antelope Valley--because of a new state prison in Lancaster.

“Many families have moved up into that area to be close to their family member who is in prison,” Block said. “When the individual gets out on parole, many of them tend to remain in that community. We believe that is partially responsible to the actual increase in the numbers of crimes.”

Block said the department plans to beef up its operations in the High Desert. He said the county will soon build a full-service sheriff’s station in Palmdale, similar to the one in Lancaster. “We’re in the process now with the county of identifying the site,” he said.

According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports, released last Sunday, Lancaster and Palmdale were the only cities in Los Angeles County with populations over 100,000 to register an increase in serious crimes during the first six months of this year.

The number of reported crimes in Palmdale jumped 13.4%, largely because of increases in robberies, aggravated assaults, larcenies and auto thefts. Serious crimes in Lancaster climbed 8.1% as a result of more robberies, aggravated assaults, burglaries and larcenies.

Meanwhile, serious crimes in the city of Los Angeles plummeted by 15.2%, more than triple the national decline. Overall, Block said in the areas patrolled by the Sheriff’s Department, serious crime dropped by a total of 13%.