The City of Ventura’s Part 1 Per Capita Crime Index decreased slightly from 39.18 crimes per one-thousand residents in 2015 to 38.04 crimes per one-thousand residents in 2016. Property Crimes and Violent Crimes dropped a combined 3.59% as compared to 2015, resulting in 154 fewer Part 1 Crimes reported to the Ventura Police Department. Property Crimes decreased by 147 total crimes, or 3.76 %, while Violent Crimes decreased by 7 total crimes, or 1.87%.
Significant reductions in larcenies and residential burglaries accounted for the reported decrease in property crimes. There were 2838 larceny/thefts reported in 2016, 203 fewer than were reported in 2015. Residential burglaries dropped by 16.29%, representing 50 fewer when compared to 2015. Despite the overall decrease in property crimes, Ventura experienced a 5% rise in burglaries city-wide due to a 27.49% increase in non-residential burglaries. Auto thefts increased from 259 to 284 or 9.65 %, and reported arson crimes totaled 12, one more than 2015. Property loss from Part 1 Property Crimes totaled $6.3 million.
The most notable drop in violent crime was in the number of reported robberies, which decreased 12.10% from 124 in 2015 to 109 in 2016. Reported rapes in 2016 decreased by one from the previous year from 54 to 53. Aggravated assaults increased from 195 to 198 and homicides increased from 2 in 2015 to 8. Six of the homicide investigations have been closed by arrests.
The Ventura Police Department handled approximately 98,812 calls for service during 2016. This represents a .8% increase from the previous year. Arrests have continued to increase each year, with 6637 in 2016, compared to 6164 in 2015.
| VENTURA POLICE DEPARTMENT – PART ONE UCR CRIMES – 2016 (FINAL) | |||||
| Part I Offenses | Jan to Dec 2016 | Jan to Dec 2015 | %change | # Diff | Crime per 1,000 pop |
| HOMICIDE | 8 | 2 | 300.00% | 6 | 0.07 |
| RAPE | 53 | 54 | -1.85% | -1 | 0.49 |
| ROBBERY | 109 | 124 | -12.10% | -15 | 1.00 |
| AGGRAVATED ASSAULT | 198 | 195 | 1.54% | 3 | 1.82 |
| TOTAL VIOLENT CRIMES | 368 | 375 | -1.87% | -7 | 3.39 |
| BURGLARY – TOTAL | 628 | 598 | 5.02% | 30 | 5.78 |
| BURGLARY – Residential | 257 | 307 | -16.29% | -50 | 2.37 |
| BURGLARY – Non Residential | 371 | 291 | 27.49% | 80 | 3.42 |
| LARCENY-THEFT | 2838 | 3041 | -6.68% | -203 | 26.14 |
| VEHICLE THEFT (10851) | 284 | 259 | 9.65% | 25 | 2.62 |
| ARSON | 12 | 11 | 9.09% | 1 | 0.11 |
| TOTAL PROPERTY CRIMES | 3762 | 3909 | -3.76% | -147 | 34.65 |
| TOTAL PART I CRIMES | 4,130 | 4284 | -3.59% | -154 | 38.04 |
| DOF Population E-1 Table | 108,557 | ||||
