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Crime Rates Going Up in Monrovia
Monrovia Weekly Dec 14, 2016
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Crime in Monrovia has risen from 2015 to 2016. – Photo by Terry Miller
At a community meeting last week to warn citizens of the potentials of holiday theft, representatives of the Monrovia Police Department shares crime statistics for the city that showed a marked increase in criminal activity. In his weekly City Manager’s Update, Oliver Chi wrote, “crime rates in Monrovia are up 25 percent in 2016, when compared against 2015 crime levels.”
He went on to write “Of particular note, crime rates are up in every community in our region and law enforcement personnel have attributed the situation primarily to a series of State legislative directives, including AB 109, Proposition 47, and Proposition 57. Each of those measures has served to weaken the ability of courts to deter crime, shorten prison sentences for criminals, and allow for the early release incarcerated individuals.”
Police Chief Jim Hunt reported that because of a November with a marked decrease in crimes citywide, the yearly crime rate might not have a great an increase as originally anticipated. “We now think there will be a 20 percent increase in crimes here in Monrovia this year,” he said.
As evidence of this, Hunt gave the following numbers: There were 43 violent crimes in 2015 through the end of November. For that same time period this year, the number was 57, a 32 percent increase. Property crimes rose from 640 to 766 in the same time frame.
The chief concurred with the City Manager’s assessment that the recent changes in the laws approved by voters were largely responsible for the increase. “We used to have some of the strongest victim’s rights laws in the nation, but in the last few years voters have chosen to change that,” he commented.
Hunt went on to explain that he felt the voters might not have understood what they were enacting. “Prop 57 was touted as a public safety initiative and one of rehabilitation, but in fact it releases prisoners back into the communities sooner”
Monrovia has worked hard to reduce crime over the years: the implementation of the gang injunction to reduce the activities of gangs in the community and the expansion of the Community Activist Policing were two examples the city manager gave of the activities of the department. However crimes continue to increase.
It is widely acknowledged that AB 109, legislation intended to relieve prison overcrowding by returning low-level criminals to county jails, has resulted in the release of many such convicted criminals to prevent jail overcrowding.
In addition, Proposition 47 reduced many crimes from felonies to misdemeanors such as shoplifting, grand theft, receiving stolen property, and forged or fraudulent check activity, in cases in which the value does not exceed $950. This again resulted in more sentencing to County Jail and thus more early releases.
As Chief Hunt noted the impact of Proposition 57, that just passed last month and lessens the requirements for parole, has not yet begun to impact the community, but will soon. He also noted that the passage of Proposition 64, the legalization of recreational marijuana use, has not yet been felt. In regard to the latter, Hunt pointed to information provided by the automobile club before the election on the results of legalization in other states. According to the club, in Washington, fatal car crashes doubled in year following legalization.
Hunt said he felt that because of the actions noted by the city manager, Monrovia has, prior to this year, been able to continue to have decreased crime rates until this year.“Because of the decrease of gang activity and the enhanced community activist program we were able to keep our crime rate low despite the impact of AB 109 and Prop 47 that resulted in higher crime rates in other communities,” Hunt said. “But the cumulative effect has caught up with us.
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