Costa Mesa one of nation’s safest cities

Deepa Bharath

COSTA MESA -- The city ranked 30th in the country and seventh in the

county on a list of the nation’s safest cities, according to preliminary

2000 Uniform Crime Reporting figures released by the FBI on Wednesday.

Numbers show that the city’s overall crime rate dropped 4% compared

with last year’s statistics.

According to the report, among Orange County cities with a population

of more than 100,000, Irvine tops the list, followed by Huntington Beach,

Orange, Anaheim, Santa Ana, Garden Grove, Costa Mesa and Fullerton. The

report considers 209 cities throughout the nation.

In Costa Mesa, violent crimes were down 16% while property crimes were

down 3%. The only increase was seen in the category of motor vehicle

thefts, which rose 21%.

Costa Mesa Police Chief David Snowden said he is “proud of the work”

his department has done.

“The fact that we are the 30th safest city in the nation validates to

me that those I work with are working very hard and doing very well,” he

said.

An increase in the number of auto thefts, however, has been a

challenge for the city, Snowden said.

“That is a problem that crosses city borders,” he said, adding that

the city has already sought the help of a county task force to counter

the problem.

Snowden also pointed out that, compared with other cities, Costa Mesa

police have been diligent in reporting and following up on each and every

complaint they receive.

“Our reporting process is very thorough,” Snowden said. “We never,

ever fail to report anything.”

He noted that although the report ranks Costa Mesa behind cities such

as Santa Ana and Anaheim, which are perceived to have a higher crime

rate, the number of incidents and actual crimes are far lower in Costa

Mesa. According to the report, Santa Ana reported a total of 10,452

crimes in 2000, while Costa Mesa reported 3,482.

Despite ranking seventh of eight cities in the county, it does not

change the fact that the city is one of the safest in the nation, Snowden

said.

“Out of hundreds of cities in the country, we’re 30th,” he said. “I

think that is an accomplishment.”

The FBI report reflects crime rates in 209 cities in the country with

a population of 100,000 and above. Overall, California fared well in the

rankings. Nine of the 10 safest cities in the nation are in the Golden

State.

National trends do not show much of a change in terms of trends from

1999 to 2000. A comparison showed violent crime fell 1.7% in the

Northeast and 0.7% in the Midwest. It increased by 1.2% in the West and

by 0.7% in the South.

The figures are put together and released every year by the FBI based

on reports voluntarily submitted by more than 17,000 city, county and

state law enforcement agencies.

AT A GLANCE

COSTA MESA CRIME STATISTICS

2000 1999

Crime index total 3,482 3,608

Murder 2 4Forcible rape 22

29

Robbery 72 106

Aggravated assaults 170 180 Burglary 437 489

Thefts 2,266 2,420

Auto thefts 484 380

Arson 9 17

SOURCE: FBI preliminary 2000 Uniform Crime Reporting figures