Crime & Safety

Santa Cruz Police on Pace to Set a Record for Calls

The department may end up with more than 100K calls for 2012, after scoring 85,144 for all of 2011.

Even with allowing people to file their own property crimes reports, Santa Cruz Police are on a pace to have the biggest year ever.

Calls for service for the department of about 100 officers is at 85,144 so far this year, as of Oct. 22.

In 2011, police responded to 90,484 calls; in 2010, 82, 496 calls; in 2009, 85,774 calls; in 2008, 82,559 calls; in 2007, 72,601 calls and in 2006, 67,932 calls.

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Spokesman Zach Friend said the calls reflect increased patrols of areas suggested by the city's new predictive policing program. Officers do extra checks on areas where computer models suggest a crime may occur and log those.

Violent crimes such as robbery and assault have fallen by 31 percent this year, while burglaries are up 4 percent.

Find out what's happening in Santa Cruzwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Homicides doubled to two this year; rapes have gone up 63 percent, from 16 to 26 from 2011 to 2012. Theft is up 7 percent, from 2020 to 2169; and car thefts have gone up 52 percent, from 129 in 2011 to 196 in 2012.

For full month to month crime statistics in Santa Cruz, go here.


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