OXNARD POLICE DEPARTMENT

NEWS RELEASE

INCIDENT:	2015 FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) data shows a continued increase in Oxnard crime
DATE/TIME:	January-December 2015
LOCATION:	City of Oxnard
PREPARED BY:	Andrew Salinas, Investigations Commander
CONTACT PERSON & CONTACT INFO:	Andrew Salinas, Investigations Commander andrew.salinas@oxnardpd.org; (805) 385-7756

DETAILS:The FBI gathers crime statistics from law enforcement agencies each year as part of their Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program.  The UCR Program collects data on four violent crime and four property crime categories.  The purpose of the program is to generate a reliable set of crime statistics for use by law enforcement.  The Oxnard Police Department has been a participating UCR agency for over forty (40) years and believes it is important to share the crime data with our residents. 

 
The City of Oxnard began to see a rise in reported crime in 2012 for the first time in 20 years.  The increase has continued through 2015 with an overall crime increase of 4.8%.  This is the lowest crime increase over the last four years.  The UCR crime categories and the reported crime data for 2014 and 2015 are listed below:
 

Part I Crime	2014	2015	Percent Change	Numerical Difference
Violent Crimes
Homicide	11	12	9.1%	1
Rape	45	21	-53.3%	-24
Robbery	447	385	-13.9%	-62
Aggravated Assault	381	502	31.8%	121
Total	884	920	4.1%	36
Property Crimes
Burglary	1,172	1,103	-5.9%	-69
Motor Vehicle Theft	735	835	13.6%	100
Larceny (Theft)	4,475	4,758	6.3%	283
Arson	27	24	-11.1%	-3
Total	6,409	6,720	4.9%	311
Grand Total	7,293	7,640	4.8%	347

The city experienced twelve (12) homicides in 2015. This is in comparison to the eleven (11) handled in 2014, with a 10-year city average of 12 homicides per year.  Of the twelve homicide cases, ten are open investigations, and two are closed due to an arrest in the case. All twelve homicide victims were male. Ten of the victims were Hispanic, one victim was Caucasian, and one victim was African American.  The predominant murder weapon in 2015 was a firearm; nine of the victims were shot to death. Of note, one murder victim was shot on June 24, 1990, and died in 2015 due to complications from a gunshot wound.  Although the victim was shot and injured 25 years ago, the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office has listed this as a homicide. 
  
Aggravated Assaults
For purposes of crime classification and reporting, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the California Department of Justice define aggravated assault as “an unlawful attack by one person upon another for the purpose of inflicting severe or aggravated bodily injury.  This type of assault is accompanied by the use of a weapon or by means likely to produce death or great bodily harm.”  Injury is not necessary when a gun, knife, or other weapon that could cause serious personal injury is used.  Reporting is required for each victim of an incident that meets the aforementioned definition.
 
Aggravated assaults increased thirty-one and eight tenths of a percent (31.8%).There were 502 aggravated assaults reported during calendar year 2015 and 381 during 2014, resulting in an increase of 121 additional crimes.
 
Aggravated assaults are subdivided into four categories based on type of weapon:  (1) firearm; (2) knife or other cutting instrument; (3) other dangerous weapon (vehicle, bat, club, etc.); and (4) hands, fist, feet.  During 2015, there were 121 assaults with a firearm, 181 with a knife, 142 other dangerous weapon and 58 with hands, fist, or feet.  The weapon category of other dangerous weapon experienced the sharpest increase, 51.1%, 48 additional crimes.  Totals by weapon type, numerical difference, and percentage of change for the last three (3) years is listed below:
  

Type of Weapon					Numerical Difference		Percent Change
	2013		2014	2015	2013- 2015	2014-  2015	2013- 2015	2014-  2015
Firearm	70		94	121	51	27	72.80%	28.70%
Knife	107		151	181	74	30	69.20%	19.90%
Other	94		94	142	48	48	51.10%	51.10%
H/F/F	27		42	58	31	16	115.00%	38.10%
Total	298		381	502	204	121	68.50%	31.80%

 In an effort to further classify aggravated assaults, a type based on the relationship between the suspect and victim or the suspect’s motivation was created.  It should be noted that the following totals were derived from a preliminary case review of each case and are subject to change.  As such, they should not be used as exact totals, but rather an approximation of aggravated assaults by type.  
 
(1)  Random – there is no known relationship between the suspect and victim.  In many of these instances the victim was attacked without provocation.
(2)  Domestic / Family – there is a prior or current relationship, marriage or blood line between the suspect and victim.
(3)  Acquaintance – the suspect and victim are known to each other.  Often they are roommates, classmates, friends, neighbors, etc.  Many of these assaults resulted from disputes over money, property, or loud music.
(4)  Gang / Tagger – either the suspect/victim may have gang or tagger involvement. 
 
Totals by type, numerical difference, and percentage of change for the last two (2) years are  listed below:
 

	2014	2015	Percent Change	Numerical Difference
Acquaintance	88	131	48.9%	43
Domestic / Family	104	115	10.6%	11
*Gang	45	53	17.8%	8
Random	139	191	37.4%	52
Unknown	5	12	140.0%	7
Grand Total	381	502	31.8%	121

Overall, aggravated assaults within the City of Oxnard have been trending downward for decades.   During calendar year 1994, there were 1,073 aggravated assaults reported in the City compared to 381 during 2014.  As such, we experienced an increase within this crime category, 502 aggravated assaults during calendar year 2015. 
 
Larcenies (Thefts)
For purposes of crime classification and reporting, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the California Department of Justice define larceny as “an unlawful taking, carrying, leading, or riding away of property from the possession or constructive possession of another.” 
 
The crime category of larceny (theft) increased six and two tenths of a percent (6.2%). There were 4,751 larcenies reported during calendar year 2015 and 4,475 during 2014, an increase of 276 incidents.
 
Larceny is subdivided into nine categories based on the type of theft:  (1) pocket-picking; (2) purse snatching; (3) shoplifting; (4) theft from motor vehicles; (5) theft of motor vehicle parts and accessories; (6) theft of bicycles; (7) theft from buildings; (8) theft from coin-operated devices or machines; and (9) all other thefts.  The chart below lists larceny totals, by category, for calendar years 2014 and 2015.

Larceny by Type	2014	2015	Numerical Difference	Percent Change
Pocket Picking	4	4	0	0.0%
Purse Snatch	6	9	3	50.0%
Shoplift	1,185	1,403	218	18.4%
From Motor Vehicle	1,824	1,583	-241	-13.2%
Motor Vehicle Parts	358	431	73	20.4%
Bicycles	161	195	34	21.1%
From Buildings	140	281	141	100.7%
Coin Op Device	28	13	-15	-53.6%
All Other	769	832	63	8.2%
Total	4,475	4,751	276	6.2%

Thefts from motor vehicles is the leading type of reported crime in Oxnard, accounting for 20.7% of the City’s crime picture. It is also the most preventable. There was a significant decrease in the total number of thefts from motor vehicle, 241 fewer crimes.  This is a 13.2% reduction from calendar year 2014.  Our outreach and public information efforts to discourage residents from leaving valuables in their vehicle in their vehicle may be a contributing factor for this turnaround.
 
Shoplifts accounted for 18.4% of Oxnard’s reported crimes in 2015. The increase of shoplifts over the past two years is continuing to play a significant factor in our crime rate.  Increased retail in the City of Oxnard along with improved loss prevention and security measures is most likely responsible for an upsurge in shoplifts.
 
 Motor Vehicle Theft
For purposes of crime classification and reporting, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the California Department of Justice define motor vehicle theft as “the theft or attempted theft of a motor vehicle. ” A motor vehicle is defined as a self-propelled vehicle that runs on land surface. 
 
Motor vehicle theft increased thirteen and six tenths of a percent (13.6%).There were 835 motor vehicle thefts reported during calendar year 2015 and 735 during 2014, 100 additional crimes.
 
To determine a national recovery rate, the Federal Bureau of Investigation divides the dollar value of recovered vehicles by the value of stolen vehicles.  The Oxnard Police Department’s recovery rate is much higher than the national average.
 

Recovery Rate	2012	2013	2014	2015
Oxnard PD	79.1%	80.0%	67.4%	82.5%
National Average	53.9%	54.8%	55.2%	Unavailable

 
During calendar year 2015, there were 348 arrests made for California Vehicle Code section 10851(a) and/or California Penal Code section 496d(a).  Of those, 183 were accompanied with additional charges:  79 narcotic related; 44 other property crimes, 11 vehicle code violations, 10 violent crimes, 10 weapon related crimes, 5 warrants, 5 for violation of parole/probation, and 19 miscellaneous offenses.
 
One individual was arrested on three separate occasions for stealing a motor vehicle in the City of Oxnard.
 

				Numerical Difference		Percent Change
	2013	2014	2015	2013- 2015	2014-  2015	2013-2015	2014-2015
Arrests (10851(a) VC / 496d(a) PC)	140	143	348	208	205	148%	143%

In summary, during calendar year 2015, there were 835 motor vehicle thefts reported, 777 stolen vehicles recovered, and 348 arrests for 10851 VC and/or 496d(a) PC.  Oxnard’s stolen vehicle recovery rate in 2015 was 82.5%.  The national average for stolen vehicle recoveries during the past three years has ranged from 53% to 55%.
 
In response to a third consecutive year of increases in motor vehicle theft, the Oxnard Police Department created the Oxnard Auto Theft Task Force (OATTF) in January 2015.  The Task Force is a concentrated effort with investigators and crime analysis personnel to identify repeat offenders and auto theft trends and ultimately decrease the number of auto thefts experienced by Oxnard residents.  The dramatic increase in arrests during 2015 can be directly attributed to our directed enforcement efforts. Stolen vehicle arrests increased by 143% in 2015.   
  
Firearms
The Firearms Strike Team (FAST), led by the Violent Crimes Unit, was created to proactively remove firearms from prohibited persons in the city. The objective of FAST was to reduce gun violence in Oxnard through education, intervention, and enforcement. Overall, in 2015, Oxnard officers made one-hundred and seventy-three (173) firearms-related arrests and the Oxnard Police Department seized two-hundred and sixty-four (264) firearms. These are considerable increases from 2014 which saw the arrest of one-hundred and six (106) individuals for firearms related charges along with the seizure of two-hundred and forty (240) firearms. The firearms seized included: 114 semi-automatic handguns; 55 revolvers; 53 shotguns; 39 rifles; 2 zip guns; and 1 machine gun. 
  
Crime Prevention Efforts
In April 2015, the Oxnard Police Department launched a new and innovative community outreach program called “Oxnard Neighbors United Project,” or ON UP.  The central focus of this program is to further engage, inform, educate, and empower residents as partners in public safety.  This program built on the success of our 2014 Operation Safer and Stronger Initiative and was modeled after the success of the RosePark Neighborhood Watch Program, Vecinos Unidos (translated meaning, United Neighbors.) This program expands our efforts to reduce property crimes by educating residents on crime prevention and other important public safety information and trainings.
 
Also, our public engagement with the community and neighborhoods is continuing to grow through our social media platforms such as Nextdoor.com, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.  The focus has been on organizing and facilitating neighborhood communication through virtual neighborhoods, community meetings, and community events.    
 
 DATE / TIME PREPARED:  February 23, 2016, 2000 hours