CA Police Chief Association says, Rise in Crime Unique to California

 Recent crime data compiled by the California Police Chiefs Association
(CPCA) shows a dramatic crime increase in California during 2015, but not in other states. The
significant increase follows a year after Proposition 47 resulted in statewide criminal justice reform that
weakened sentences without requiring alternative rehabilitation for offenders.
“These numbers are more than statistics, they represent victims who have suffered theft,
robbery, assault, or any number of crimes,” said Ventura Police Chief Ken Corney, President of CPCA.
“Clearly, something unique is happening in California and it’s important we study this trend to
understand exactly what is going on before more people get hurt.”
Through a ballot initiative, Proposition 47 reduced numerous felonies to misdemeanors,
including grand theft of property under $950, and various drug use. The goal of the initiative was to
fund additional substance abuse and mental health services with the savings from lowering
incarcerations. However, the savings have not materialized as predicted, there are no requirements for
offenders to attend services, and statewide access to substance abuse and mental health programs is not
yet available.
“To reduce sentences without having alternative services in place, and without requiring
offenders to participate in rehabilitative programs, leaves law enforcement with very limited options in
dealing with crime,” continued Chief Corney. “As a result, what we have seen is repeat offenders
committing multiple crimes because they know they aren’t going to be held accountable.”
“Over the last year retail theft incidents have nearly doubled compared to recent years. Prop 47
is riddled with many unintended consequences and created an emboldened criminal class,” said Bill
Dombrowski, President & CEO of the California Retailers Association. “We have also seen an increase
in physical confrontations while trying to stop these incidents, which is causing us concern."
Far beyond normal fluctuations, crime data reported by 311 municipal police departments from
across the state shows a startling rise in crime throughout California last year. Elk Grove Police Chief
Robert Lehner collected data from California’s Police Departments and compared it to the data released
so far by the FBI. Those results, in the attached report, show property crime (theft, burglary, motor
vehicle theft, etc.), increased 15.25% in cities with populations over 100,000, compared to a decrease
of 6% across the nation. Violent crime (murder, robbery, aggravated assault, etc.) increased 15.41% in
cities with populations over 100,00, in contrast to a 1.3% increase in the other states. Similar results are
also seen in comparisons of smaller cities.
The increase in property crime in the California cities already reporting is the largest year-over-
year increase in property crimes since at least 1960. The increase in violent crime is the largest year