The reason for the decreased number of criminal incidents goes beyond the policing of local communities; it reflects how the community has increased its relationship with law enforcement, according to city and Palmdale Sheriff’s Station officials,
“Together the citizens of Palmdale, city officials, hardworking proactive deputies and specialized teams have all played a tremendous role in the reduction of crime,” Deputy Jodi Wolfe stated in a community announcement. “Although it was a slow and steady process many individuals played a huge part in making this a reality.”
According to the 2014 crime statistics, the rate of crime was at 262.47 offenses per 10,000 residents. While in 1995, crime statistics show the rate of crime was 488.30 offenses per 10,000 residents, Palmdale Sheriff’s officials reported. More specifically, the violent crime rate has decreased 45 percent over the past 20 years, while the property crime rate declined 43 percent.
Captain Don P. Ford of the Palmdale Sheriff Station said these crime rates may inform us on how many incidents have occurred, but there’s no easy way to measure the number of crimes that have been prevented in the community.
“For every time somebody does something to prevent a crime, we don’t have any numbers on those,” Capt. Ford told The AV Times.
He explained that crime prevention is the real driving force behind keeping crime rates down, and to achieve this, local law enforcement really depends on its partnership with the community.
“We’re getting great information from citizens through Crime Stoppers,” he said, “We’re getting them to call in those suspicious persons, and they’re getting rapid response from us.”
Capt. Ford pointed out that the Palmdale Sheriff Station covers about 770 square miles with nearly 200 deputies.
“But there’s 200,000 people that live in that same area that could give us a lot of eyes in their communities,” he said. “And when we all work together as partners in the community, that is what helps keep the crime rate down. The city of Palmdale, their Neighborhood Watch program and their crime prevention officers— it’s all of these pieces that work together.”
Palmdale Crime Prevention Officer Kery German, who helps coordinate more than 400 Neighborhood and Business Watch groups throughout the city, said her job is to help people take responsibility for their neighborhoods.
“We offer residents information on how to keep their neighborhoods as safe as possible, and how they can be a good witness for the Sheriff’s department,” German said. “We give them tips on home security, vehicle security, personal safety, how to report crime and suspicious activity, and being involved in making their neighborhood as safe as possible.”
She said that although many groups take pride in their Neighborhood Watch programs, many groups have been started in response to a crime that had taken place in the neighborhood.
“We would like that to change,” German said. “We would like them to be proactive and contact us – stop it before it starts.”
German said the city’s Business Watch program takes a similar proactive stance against crime, protecting small businesses from potential break-ins. She said the Business Watch program caters to the mom and pop businesses that do not have the support of a large loss prevention team as the bigger retailers have.
According to Deputy Wolfe, these programs not only educate individuals on crime prevention but they offer citizens a better understanding of law enforcement and how the department operates.
The Palmdale Sheriff Station also reaches out to local residents with various programs to assist with community building and crime prevention, such as a Community Academy, ride-a-longs, station tours, Explorer program, Youth Activities League, Volunteers on Patrol, Vital Intervention and Directional Alternatives, and Coffee with a Cop.
“All these things work together to build a stronger, safer community and bring crime down,” Palmdale Communications Manager John Mlynar told The AV Times.
Mlynar said he recalls when the city in 2008 was hoping to get to a lower number of crime incidents. At the time, Palmdale was at 324.7 offenses per 10,000 residents.
“We really thought we would get below 300 crimes per 10,000. Basically if your city is doing 300, that’s considered safe – a reasonable amount to have,” he said. “We would love to be zero, but the reality is no city is at zero. But that’s what you work towards.”
Palmdale Sheriff Station officials are asking residents to contact the Sheriff’s department at 661-272-2400 to report any crimes in their neighborhood. Citizens may also call LA Crime Stoppers, a non-profit organization that allows callers to remain anonymous, at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
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Bob says
There are very few deputies on the streets. Fewer deputies, fewer arrests and fewer crimes reported. Capt. Ford is trying to make himself look good, in reality the numbers are skewed. There not giving us the whole truth
Eric says
The concept of a “crime rate” in itself is stupid.
It’s a manipulated number, designed to either increase the artificial feeling of safety in an area or have some kind of affect on the property’s value. You are no safer in the westside of Palmdale than you are in the seediest spots on the eastside of either town. Criminals DO travel. Some are even smart enough to not do their crime in their own backyard. Doesn’t mean the criminal, or his threats, aren’t present because of the number.
So celebrate the “drop” all you want, you aren’t any safer today than you were 20 years ago, and you won’t be any safer or worse off 20 years from now.
You take a 50/50 chance of being a victim of crime whenever you decide you are living another day. You either will be, or won’t be. And the artificial crime rate number has no impact on that.
yea right says
I’ve lived here for Mich longer than 20 years and have never felt so unsafe in Palmdale! Yea the report reads great, but just walk down any street on the east side after midnight and let’s see how low the crime rate is! Walk down any part of Palmdale Blvd at ANY time of the day and you can tell the demographic is full of low life gangsters. Thanks for the BS lie Palmdale!
John says
LOWER CRIME RATE IN PALMDAE? Tell it to the people who’s home was invaded just the other day. Lower crime rate-what a croc!
Jan20 says
I’ll tell you one thing you can do, if you notice your neighbor is having a lot of traffic coming and going to there house or apartment, it could mean several things…
1. There working on there next kick it spot to hang out, sell drugs, do drugs, victimize or target the person’s family for some reason, maybe child custody issue or use there DCFS case against the person, so they can keep the person doing what they want. I wouldn’t doubt if they had some of there own foster parents to get your kid or they want your kid so they can sell them in the black market or and for sex.
They also might be doing it to use your child’s identity, fraud.
Another thing they do is, try to get you to do drug trafficking, sell drugs, all type’s of scams. In fact, that is probably there whole reason for targeting you, because if they can get you to be one of them, steal, sell drugs, do drugs, get lost into the drugs, then they can use you to get you to do the dirty work, so they don’t get into trouble and you do. Beat you up, slap you around, threaten you.
2. Get young girls hooked on drugs such as meth, use them to have sex, sell them for some more drugs or money. They’ll say “She don’t even know she’s a ho”, because she/he is so drugged up, that they won’t know what happened to them. I know a guy who said he went to a kick back/party, and he said he woke up 3-4 hours away, didn’t know where he was, all he money and phone, and belongings were gone.
Once they got you in the house or apt, they might block or cover the windows with furniture or wood. They get so paranoid they might never let you out because they know they are in trouble, and then you feel like your in trouble too.
3. Make them so gone in the head that they kick them out of there own house/apt, and take it over, that they don’t even know it’s happening. Some people are literally running for there life, because they are being chased and turned into prey by these Criminals that want you, your money, your belongings, you house/apt, your LIFE.
4. While this is happening to you, you don’t even realize that there taking you with them when they steal at the store, turning you into a criminal, which is giving you a record. They probably are working with someone possibly in the System, so they can make sure you go down, and who knows WTF is happening to you when you go to jail. It is CRAZY!!!!!!!!!!! IT’S NO JOKE. You have to be careful who you let in, because they’ll act like your friend, and BAM they got a whole slue of them working together to get you high out of your mind, steal your money, your things, rape you, sell you, and then possible frame you to make you look like the bad guy.
5. It’s all types of gangs, black, Mexican, white, even devil worshiper’s, that are trying to sacrifice you or your family.
Jan20 says
I believe it, and I feel it.
The news said that crime is down, not Completely stopped.
Hopefully the shootings will stop too.
callitasitis says
Figures Don’t Lie, But Liars Do Figure, it is the phase we all have felt when it does not looks or sound right.
Rob says
It’s a crock of ____ . Even the cops on the street think it’s BS
QHR says
I don’t think so. People still getting shot left and right. The AV is the ghetto capital of L.A.!
Bob says
QHR-you are 100% correct.
Dixie says
This is mind boggling because it seems like nobody feels the sense of security that you would think this kind of news would generate. The response I hear from people is that they aren’t buying into this report.