Staff report
During the past year, the City of La Mirada experienced one of the region’s lowest crime rates and remained one of the safest cities in Los Angeles County. The City’s low crime rate is attributable to a strong partnership between residents, businesses, and the Public Safety Team.
According to a recent crime analysis of surrounding communities in southeast Los Angeles County and northern Orange County, La Mirada experienced the lowest number of Part 1 crimes last year.
Overall, there were 923 Part 1 crimes reported in La Mirada in 2015. Part 1 crimes include murder, larceny, burglary, automobile theft, robbery, assault, and arson. Though this was an overall increase from 2014, violent crimes dropped by nearly 14 percent.
“The increase in Part 1 crimes is attributed property related crimes including burglaries, larcenies, and vehicle thefts,” says Captain Curtis Jensen from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. “Many of these cases were crimes of opportunity, where valuables were left in plain view, often in a parked vehicle.”
While crime in general increased throughout the state, La Mirada continues to have one of the lowest crime rates with fewer than 190 crimes per 10,000 residents. The national benchmark is 300 crimes per 10,000 residents and La Mirada far exceeds this standard.
Community outreach efforts to educate residents on crime prevention and awareness continue to be a priority. The Public Safety Team has strengthened its outreach strategy to engage residents about how to take a more active role in preventing property crimes. Throughout 2016, the Public Safety Team will conduct a series of monthly neighborhood events where Sheriff’s deputies, Public Safety Officers, and volunteers will canvass neighborhoods to inform and educate residents of potential crimes of opportunity.
The City encourages all residents and businesses to participate in the Neighborhood Watch Program, and to report suspicious activity to law enforcement.
“Crime in the community remains low and residents are reminded to protect themselves from falling victim to crimes of opportunity,” adds Jensen. “The La Mirada Public Safety Team will continue to implement creative solutions to keep criminals off the streets.”
For more information about the Neighborhood Watch Program, or to report suspicious activity, call the La Mirada Community Sheriff’s Station at (562) 902-2960.