VENTURA : City Crime Figures Reach Record Levels

Crime figures in Ventura were higher in 1991 than ever before, officials said, attributing the increase in part to a trend among police to skirt a $120-per-person booking fee.

Ventura County’s resolution enacting a $120 fee each time a prisoner is booked into Ventura County Jail has resulted in fewer bookings and more citations, Ventura Police Chief Richard Thomas said in a prepared statement.

Of the seven crime categories listed in a report, only rape showed a slight decrease. There were 49 reported cases in 1990, contrasted with 41 in 1991.

The city reported large increases in auto theft and aggravated assault last year--22.25% and 18.67% respectively.

Violent crimes, including homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault, climbed overall by 14.8%, the report said.

The city has been reporting crime figures every year since 1981.

“While our increase in crime is significant, it is lower than the areas around us,” Thomas said in the statement.

Meanwhile, he said, “many of the factors feeding the rise in criminal activities are not within our control, but we will continue to be proactive and responsive to the needs and expectations (of) the people of Ventura.”

Arrests in the City of Ventura in 1991

Jan.: 549

Feb.: 479

March: 536

April: 480

May: 478

June: 466

July: 481

(New county booking fees take effect)

Aug.: 434

Sept.: 430

Oct.: 408

Nov.: 410

Dec.: 413