The Sacramento Police Department and the community have made tremendous strides towards “Making Sacramento the Safest Big City in California.” We are excited to announce the considerable decrease in crime during 2014 while looking forward to continuing our successful crime reduction efforts in 2015.
Every year, law enforcement agencies across the nation submit data, known as the Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics (UCR), to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. These statistics are comprised of serious offenses such as homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft.
In 2014, the number of crimes in these categories, in the city of Sacramento, plummeted by 14.6% compared to 2013. The reductions account for a 5.3% drop in violent crime and a 16.3% drop in property crimes which include burglary and auto theft. The 2014 crime reductions include the lowest number of homicides (29) in four decades, a low last reported in 1973. These significant overall crime reductions of 2014 followed a 10.1% drop in the same crime categories for 2013.
“To put these crime reductions into perspective, 3,101 fewer people were victims of crime this year in the city of Sacramento. That is great news for our residents, businesses and visitors,” said Chief of Police, Sam Somers Jr.
Above all, our success is derived from the hard work and commitment of the men and women of the Sacramento Police Department who provide a high level of service to an engaged community. The passage of Measure U by the citizens of Sacramento has played a significant role in enabling us to rebuild and restore valuable crime reduction services.
In addition, a variety of innovative strategies implemented over the past two years have compounded our success. We have expanded our community partnerships to include programs such as Sacramento Summer Night Lights, Cops & Clergy, and Geographical Policing. We have integrated technology such as the social media site Nextdoor.com and established unprecedented communication with our community. At the root of our community partnerships is our neighborhood watch program, which has soared to 338 established groups, nearly double the number in 2013.
Our top priority is providing the excellent service expected by our community and “Making Sacramento the Safest Big City in California”.