Almost 3 of 4 violent crimes are solved by Anaheim, besting all California's largest cities
| ANAHEIM, CA - (November 12, 2002) - According to statistics released by the State of California's Department of Justice and the Criminal Justice Statistics Center, the Anaheim Police Department was able to solve 71.8 percent of the violent crime cases in the City in 2001. It is the third straight year that Anaheim's violent crime clearance rate has topped 70 percent. "Our goal is to focus on crime enforcement and crime-solving within the City - the lower our crime rate, the easier it is to solve our crimes," said Anaheim Police Chief Roger Baker. "Our efforts in community policing, better relationships with residents and motivated officers have added to our success," said Baker. According to the California Criminal Justice Statistics Center, violent crimes are considered offenses such as homicide, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault. In 2001, Anaheim's "clearances" (cases successfully solved) numbered 945 in 2001 compared to 1,316 reported violent crimes. The 2001 mark bests all other cities in California with populations greater than 200,000 people. The only other California cities with a population of more than 200,000 and a 50 percent or better clearance rate were San Diego (59.5%); Bakersfield (55.7%); and Fremont (53.6%). The average clearance rate for violent crimes in the largest California cities is 47 percent. In 2001, Anaheim also posted a statewide best of 25 percent clearance rate for property crimes such a burglary and vehicle theft. Despite last year's expected increase in the overall crime rate, Anaheim's crime is down more than 40 percent from 1990 and continues to be at the lowest levels in more than a quarter century. The following graph shows the number of violent crimes and the number of clearances in Anaheim since 1995.
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### ABOUT ANAHEIM - The City of Anaheim, founded in 1857, is one of the nation's premier municipalities and is California's 10th most populous city. Anaheim covers 50 square miles with more than 345,500 residents and more than 3,200 City employees. The municipal corporation's annual budget is $1.4 billion. Anaheim supports a thriving business community with companies such as Carl Karcher Enterprises, Inc., L-3 Communications, Pacific Sunwear, and Disneyland Resort. Successful sports franchises call Anaheim home, including Angels Baseball, Anaheim Ducks, the 2008 Olympic Gold Medal winning U.S. Men's National Volleyball Team, and the 2008 Olympic Silver Medal winning U.S. Women's National Volleyball Team. Anaheim also boasts world-class meeting and entertainment venues with the Anaheim Convention Center, the largest on the west coast, Honda Center, The Grove of Anaheim, The Shops at Anaheim GardenWalk, and Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Annually, Anaheim welcomes millions of visitors to the city, truly making it where the world comes to live, work and play. For more information, please visit www.anaheim.net. |