During the past year, the City of La Mirada again experienced one of the region’s lowest crime rates and remained among the safest cities in Los Angeles County according to the city’s recently released 2020 Crime Report. The City’s low crime rate is attributed to a strong partnership between residents, businesses, and the Public Safety Team. This partnership fosters a well-coordinated team approach to fighting crime.
Part 1 Crimes
La Mirada experienced the lowest number of Part 1 crimes in 2020 of communities in southeast Los Angeles County and northern Orange County. Part 1 crimes include homicide, rape, larceny, burglary, automobile theft, robbery, assault, and arson. Part 1 crimes reported in neighboring communities for the last two years are shown below:
In 2020, there were 791 Part 1 crimes reported in La Mirada compared to 790 reported in 2019. There were 160 crimes reported per 10,000 residents in 2020, which meets the City’s goal of fewer than 200 crimes per 10,000 residents. Here are a few highlights:
- Homicide – There were no homicides reported in 2019 and 2020
- Rape – There were six rape incidents reported in 2019 and 2020. The six incidents last year were allegedly perpetrated by acquaintances or family members.
- Larceny – Larceny is defined as theft including grand and petty cases. Larceny cases decreased by four percent. Cell phones, purses, catalytic converters, batteries, third-row seats, laptops, and gym bags were common items taken.
- Burglary – In 2020, there were 105 burglary incidents reported compared to 145 in 2019. Of the 105 burglaries reported, 34 were residential burglaries compared to 73 residential burglaries in 2019. This represents a decrease of over 53 percent in 2020. Since most residential burglaries occur during the day when nobody is home, it is speculated that the COVID pandemic may have contributed to the decrease in burglaries because more residents were home in 2020.
- Automobile Theft – Automobile thefts increased in La Mirada from 93 in 2019 to 147 in 2020. It should be noted that many Southern California cities experienced increases in automobile thefts in 2020. The industrial area experienced the largest number of auto theft incidents with 29 reported. To help address the increase in automobile thefts, the Public Safety Team reviewed crime trends regarding grand theft automobiles and developed missions to decrease the activity.
- Assault – Assault statistics are measured by the number of victims involved in an incident and not by the actual number of assault incidents. There were 60 assaults reported in 2020 compared to 52 assaults in 2019. A majority of the assaults are domestic assaults or involve persons known to the victims.
- Arson – La Mirada experienced two arson cases in 2020 and three in 2019.
Part 2 Crimes
Part 2 crimes include forgery, fraud, sex offenses, non-aggravated assaults, weapons violations, alcohol and narcotics offenses, disorderly conduct, vandalism, vehicle code violations, and receiving stolen property. The total number of Part 2 crimes was 1,113 in 2020. There were 1,319 Part 2 crimes reported in 2019.
Summary
La Mirada continues to have one of the lowest crime rates in the area with fewer calls for service and generally less criminal activity. In 2020, the majority of Part 1 crimes were property crimes. Of the 791 Part 1 crimes reported in La Mirada, 699 were crimes involving stolen property. This accounts for nearly 90 percent of Part 1 crimes reported in 2020.
The La Mirada Public Safety Team takes property crimes seriously and orders latent fingerprint investigations at most property crime scenes. La Mirada Deputies continue to arrest, book, and fingerprint property crime suspects. However, property crime valued at under $950 is considered a misdemeanor. A misdemeanor conviction carries little, if any, incarceration time and results in limited supervision if probation is imposed.
In 2021, the Public Safety Team will continue its efforts to maintain a low crime rate and keep the community safe. The SAO Team will monitor crime trends and work closely with Patrol Deputies and Detectives to identify problem locations and possible suspects. The SAO Team will continue to create criminal suppression strategies to combat crime and nuisance issues.
Click here for more detailed information from the 5-page 2020 Annual Crime Report.
Source: City of La Mirada