Crime in California
Crime in California refers to crime occurring within the U.S. state of California.
State statistics
In 2019, there were 1,096,668 crimes reported in California including 1,679 murders, 14,720 rapes and 915,197 property crimes.[1]: 9 In 2019, there were 1,012,441 arrests of adults and 43,181 arrests of juveniles in California.[1]: 20
In 2014, 1,697 people were victims of homicides. 30% of homicides were gang-related, 28% were due to an unspecified argument, 9% were domestic, and 7% were robbery related. The rest were unknown.[2] In 2017 the violent crime rate in California rose 1.5% and was 14th highest of the 50 states.[3]
Number of crimes per 100,000 persons in 2004 (crime rates)[4] | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Violent crime rates | Property crime rates | Total | Rank | ||||||||
Population | Violent crime | Homicide | Rape | Robbery | Serious assault | Property crime | Burglary | Larceny | Motor vehicle theft | ||
35,893,799 | 551.8 | 6.7 | 26.8 | 172.1 | 346.3 | 3,419.0 | 685.1 | 2,030.1 | 703.8 | 11,970.8 | 26 |
Year | Population | Index | Violent | Property | Murder | Rape[5] | Robbery | Aggravated assault |
Burglary | Larceny theft |
Vehicle theft |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1960 | 15,717,204 | 546,069 | 37,558 | 508,511 | 616 | 2,859 | 18,796 | 18,796 | 143,102 | 311,956 | 53,453 |
1970 | 19,953,134 | 1,264,854 | 94,741 | 1,170,113 | 1,376 | 7,005 | 45,083 | 45,083 | 349,788 | 682,811 | 137,514 |
1980 | 23,532,680 | 1,264,854 | 210,290 | 1,633,042 | 3,411 | 13,693 | 102,766 | 102,766 | 545,138 | 913,070 | 174,834 |
1990 | 29,760,021 | 1,965,237 | 311,051 | 1,654,186 | 3,553 | 12,688 | 182,602 | 182,602 | 400,392 | 951,580 | 302,214 |
2000 | 33,871,648 | 1,266,714 | 210,531 | 1,056,183 | 2,079 | 9,785 | 60,249 | 138,418 | 222,293 | 651,855 | 182,035 |
2010 | 37,338,198 | 1,146,072 | 164,133 | 981,939 | 1,809 | 8,331 | 58,116 | 95,877 | 228,857 | 600,558 | 152,524 |
2016 | 39,250,017 | 1,176,866 | 174,796 | 1,002,070 | 1,930 | 10,149 | 54,789 | 104,375 | 188,304 | 637,010 | 176,756 |
2017 | 39,613,045 | 1,173,972 | 178,553 | 986,769 | 1,829 | 14,724 | 56,609 | 105,391 | 176,638 | 641,804 | 168,327 |
2018 | 39,825,181 | 1,126,387 | 176,866 | 940,998 | 1,739 | 15,500 | 54,312 | 105,315 | 164,540 | 621,288 | 155,170 |
2019 | 39,959,095 | 1,096,668 | 173,205 | 915,197 | 1,679 | 14,720 | 52,050 | 104,756 | 151,596 | 622,869 | 140,732 |
By location
Los Angeles
In 2010, Los Angeles reported 293 homicides.[6] The 2010 number corresponds to a rate of 7.6 per 100,000 population. Murders in Los Angeles have decreased since the peak year of 1993, when the homicide rate was 21.1 (per 100,000 population).[7]
Legal procedure
As one of the fifty states of the United States, California follows common law criminal procedure. The principal source of law for California criminal procedure is the California Penal Code, Part 2, "Of Criminal Procedure."
Every year in California, approximately 150 thousand violent crimes and 1 million property crimes are committed.[8] With a population of about 40 million people, approximately 1.2 million arrests are made every year in California.[8] The California superior courts hear about 270,000 felony cases, 900,000 misdemeanor cases, and 5 million infraction cases every year.[9] There are currently 130,000 people in state prisons[10] and 70,000 people in county jails.[11] Of these, there are 746 people who have been sentenced to death.[12]
Policing
In 2008, California had 509 state and local law enforcement agencies.[13] Those agencies employed a total of 126,538 staff.[13] Of the total staff, 79,431 were sworn officers (defined as those with general arrest powers).[13]
Police ratio
In 2008, California had 217 police officers per 100,000 residents.[13]
Capital punishment laws
The death penalty (also known as capital punishment) is applied in California.[14] Governor Gavin Newsom suspended the use of the death penalty in March 2019.[15]
Organized crime
Organized crime in California involves the criminal activities of organized crime groups, street gangs, criminal extremists, and terrorists in California.[16] Traditional organized crime are in the form of Cosa Nostra (LCN), Sicilian Mafia, and Camorra. Eurasian criminal networks specialize in white-collar crime, fraud, prostitution and human trafficking. Crime cells from Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe impact public safety and the state's economy.
Gangs
Gangs in California are classified into three categories: criminal street gangs, prison gangs, and outlaw motorcycle gangs. Gang operations usually include "assault, auto theft, drive-by shooting, illegal drug and narcotic manufacturing, drug and narcotic trafficking, forgery, fraud, home invasion robbery, identity theft, murder, weapons trafficking, witness intimidation, and violence against law enforcement."
Terrorism
Domestic criminal extremists include various racial supremacy groups. International terrorists include Al-Qaeda, Hamas, Mujahedin-e-Khalq (MEK), and Jamaat ul-Fuqra (JUF).
Notable incidents
- 1946: Battle of Alcatraz
- 1947: Black Dahlia murder
- 1965:
- 1968–69: Zodiac Killer murders five known victims
- 1968: Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy
- 1969: Tate–LaBianca murders
- 1970: Newhall incident
- 1972: United California Bank burglary
- 1974:
- 1974 Los Angeles International Airport bombing
- Assassination attempts of Gerald Ford in Sacramento and in San Francisco
- 1976:
- 1977: Kidnapping of Colleen Stan
- 1977–78: Hillside Strangler
- 1978: Moscone–Milk assassinations
- 1981: Wonderland murders
- 1984:
- 1986 San Francisco fireworks disaster
- 1987: Hijacking of Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771
- 1988: Dan Montecalvo case
- 1989: Cleveland Elementary School shooting (Stockton)
- 1991: Killing of Latasha Harlins
- 1992:
- 1993: 101 California Street shooting
- 1994: O. J. Simpson murder case
- 1996:
- 1997: North Hollywood shootout
- 1997–98: Rampart scandal
- 1999: Los Angeles Jewish Community Center shooting
- 2001:
- 2002:
- 2003: Shooting of Deandre Brunston
- 2006: Goleta postal facility shootings
- 2009:
- 2010: Death of Lydia Schatz
- 2011
- 2011–12 Los Angeles arson attacks
- 2012 Anaheim, California police shooting and protests
- 2013:
- 2013–14: Interstate 80 rapist
- 2014 Isla Vista killings
- 2015:
- 2016: Orange County Men's Central Jail escape
- 2017:
- 2019:
- 2021:
- 2023:
See also
- California locations by crime rate
- San Francisco crime family
- San Jose crime family
- Los Angeles crime family
General:
References
- ^ a b "Crime in California" (PDF). State of California Department of Justice - OpenJustice. 2020-07-01. Archived (pdf) from the original on 2020-08-03. Retrieved 2020-08-31.
- ^ Bulwa, Demian (July 4, 2015). "By the numbers: Who got killed, and why, in California last year". SFGATE.
- ^ "Crime Trends in California". Public Policy Institute of California. Retrieved 2019-11-13.
- ^ "US Census Bureau, median household income by state 2004". Archived from the original on 2006-06-28. Retrieved 2006-07-01.
- ^ In 2014, the crime of "forcible rape" was changed to "rape." The definition was expanded to include both male and female victims and reflects the various forms of sexual penetration understood to be rape.
- ^ 2010 California offenses known to law enforcement FBI. Retrieved August 10, 2012
- ^ Crime Rates
- ^ a b "2015 California Attorney General Report" (PDF).
- ^ "2015 California Judicial Council Court Statistics Report" (PDF).
- ^ "California Department of Corrections Office of Research, Population Reports". Archived from the original on 2018-05-15. Retrieved 2018-05-20.
- ^ "California's County Jails".
- ^ These are the 746 inmates awaiting execution on California's death row, Los Angeles Times, Paige St. John & Maloy Moore, August 24, 2017. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
- ^ a b c d "U.S. Department of Justice, Census of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies, 2008, p.15" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-10-10. Retrieved 2012-11-22.
- ^ "Facts about capital punishment - the death penalty". www.religioustolerance.org.
- ^ Arango, Tim (2019-03-12). "California Death Penalty Suspended; 737 Inmates Get Stay of Execution". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-12-20.
- ^ Organized Crime in California California Department of Justice. Sacramento: Criminal Intelligence Bureau, 2005.