While most cities in Orange County saw reductions in their crime rates, Irvine has once again proclaimed itself the safest city in the country. Even without the title, the improvement to crime rates in Southern California cities is laudable.
Irvine’s self-proclaimed title came after the FBI released its crime rates for 2011, which saw the eighth consecutive year with Irvine having the lowest crime rate per-capita in cities with more than 100,000 residents. The city’s mayor says that the consistently low crime rate is a testament to their commitment to public safety.
In other cities where the crime rate actually improved, such as Santa Ana, the police say that focusing on gangs helped. That city a 30 percent drop in rape in 2011 as well as 15 fewer murders – a reduction of about half. Other cities, such as Fullerton and Huntington Beach, saw drops in property and violent crime.
From the Orange County Register:
Crime continued to fall in some of Orange County’s largest cities, according to the latest statistics from the FBI.
Cities such as Fullerton, Garden Grove and Huntington Beach saw drops in both property and violent crime. The most significant decrease in crime occurred in Santa Ana, however, where the second-largest city in the county saw a drop of 13 percent in violent crime.
Read the full article here.