REGION — The San Diego region has experienced the highest mid-year violent crime rates in a decade, according to SANDAG’s mid-year crime report released today.
The report by SANDAG’s criminal justice research division, “Crime in the San Diego Region Mid-Year 2022 Statistics,” shows violent crimes, such as homicides and robberies, increased by 4% and 15%, respectively, across San Diego County when compared to 2021.
According to the report, aggravated assaults, representing about two-thirds of violent crimes reported to law enforcement in any given year, were the second-highest reported since 2012.
“While these mid-year crime statistics are still relatively low compared to historic highs, we are seeing some increases that the community should be aware of,” said Dr. Cynthia Burke, SANDAG’s senior director of data science. “We know that only about two in every five violent crimes and one in every three property crimes are reported to law enforcement. The cost of victimization is more than monetary, and it is important that we all work together as our communities face a number of different challenges coming out of the pandemic, which has affected us all in myriad ways.”
Property crime rates were 2% lower in the first half of 2022 compared to the first half of 2021 and 5% lower compared to the first half of 2018. A total of 26,448 property crimes were reported between January and June 2022, an average of 146 per day.
Other notable findings in the SANDAG report include the following:
- In homicide cases where motive could be determined, the most common motive was an argument (63%);
- 16% of robberies and 15% of aggravated assaults involved the use of a firearm;
- Reported domestic violence was down 4%;
- Motor vehicle theft increased 4%, the second-highest number since 2012;
- While reported larcenies were down overall, theft of motor vehicle parts was up 12% compared to the first six months of 2021;
- Burglaries increased by 10% in the first half of 2022, resulting from a 19% increase in non-residential burglaries and a 2% decrease in residential burglaries.
SANDAG’s mid-year and annual crime reports are based on crime data from every relevant law enforcement agency every month.
For North County cities, Encinitas property and violent crimes dropped 4% and 13%, respectively, and overall crime has decreased 5% since last year. However, compared to 2018, the city’s overall crime rate has risen 6%, the report shows, with property crimes up 7% and violent crimes down 2% over the last four years.
Since 2021, property crimes in Solana Beach have increased 29%, and the city’s overall crime rate has increased by 27%, according to the report. The city’s southern neighbor Del Mar saw property crimes surge by 30% and violent crimes drop by 13% during the same timeframe.
In Vista, the overall crime rate spiked 30% since last year, with property crimes up 42%.
In the first half of 2022, violent crimes in Oceanside decreased by 1%, and property crimes increased by 3% since last year, but the city’s violent crime rate has increased by 21% since 2018. Carlsbad saw an 18% increase in violent crimes, and property crimes grew by 2% compared to last year’s statistics.
In San Marcos, violent crime decreased by 1%, but property crimes rose by 21% compared to last year, with the city’s overall crime rate increasing by 17%. Since 2018, overall crime in San Marcos is down 5%. Escondido’s violent crime rate rose 6%, but property crimes dropped 1% from 2021.
For the latest crime reports in Encinitas, Solana Beach and Del Mar, please visit The Coast News’ Weekly Crime Reports. For up-to-the-minute arrest reports in North County, check out Daily Arrest Logs. Read more local crime news here.
