Crime Rate Drops 7%, Its 8th Annual Decline

Orange County’s celebrated crime drop stretched for a record eighth straight year in 1999, with total crime falling 7% and every major crime category noting a decrease except homicide, according to statistics released Wednesday.

Murders across the county rose for the first time in six years, jumping 8% from 85 to 92. Despite the increase, the number remains fewer than half the homicides recorded in 1993, when gang feuds helped push the total to 196.

But police officials expressed frustration with last year’s uptick in killings, which they ascribed to an unexpected rise in attacks by people who knew their victims.

Overall, Orange County’s drop in crime during 1999 lagged behind the rest of California, which reported 11% fewer serious offenses than in 1998. While the county saw a 7% drop in violent crime, such offenses plunged by 11% statewide.

Despite the comparatively slow decline, many were cautious about announcing an end to the long-lasting crime free fall. Orange County’s crime rate now stands lower than at any time since the 1960s.

Moreover, many of the factors cited for the recent drop in crime nationwide remain in place. The economy remains relatively strong and major crimes, such as homicide and rape--which fell by less than 3% in Orange County--often fluctuate from year to year, police officials said.

Instead officials pointed to the continuing drop in property crime--which fell 15%--as evidence that the trend remains downward. But even police acknowledged that crime cannot drop indefinitely.

The new statistics, published by the California Department of Justice, reveal for the first time the number of crimes reported last year in Orange County’s smaller cities.

Among them, La Palma noted a 19% fall in the FBI index offenses, which include homicide, rape, robbery, assault, burglary, vehicle theft, larceny and arson.

Brea reported a 12% drop in serious crime and a 30% drop in violent offenses. In Buena Park, crime fell by 21%. Tustin, meanwhile, saw a 6% decrease.