Santa Clarita officials discuss crime trends 

Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Captian Justin Diez speaks to the crowd during the L.A. County Summer Fire Safety Press Conference at Towsley Canyon Park on Friday, June 21. Habeba Mostafa/ The Signal
Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Captian Justin Diez speaks to the crowd during the L.A. County Summer Fire Safety Press Conference at Towsley Canyon Park on Friday, June 21. Habeba Mostafa/ The Signal
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The Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station is reporting crime was down just under 3%, according to data from the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department, which also released preliminary numbers indicating arrests fell for a fourth-straight year. 

The SCV’s top cop, station Capt. Justin Diez, said there were also many factors contributing to the drop in crimes reported, which varied from small increases to large decreases based on the type of offense. He also acknowledged the department’s long-term personnel challenges could play a factor in the station’s lower arrest numbers, adding he hadn’t seen the official stats for 2024 arrests. 

The two main categories for Part-I crimes — property and violent crimes — were lower in the station’s service area, by 2.13% and 6.74%, respectively, according to LASD data. Those numbers, which include offenses ranging from petty theft to murder, are the basis for the crime rate of an area, which for the station covers the city and its surrounding unincorporated areas. 

Everything from evolving retail-store policies to criminal opportunities could play a role in the changes, Diez said, adding it’s tough to know for sure. 

“When somebody goes into a store and tries to walk out the threshold and steal items … if they steal the items, it would be counted as a larceny theft,” Diez said. “If loss prevention or any employee tries to stop them, and they fight with loss prevention, it then goes from a larceny theft … to a felony robbery, which is called an ‘Estes’ robbery.”  

Sheriff's deputies investigate the scene where a person was killed in a shooting Monday night near the intersection of Newhall Avenue and Lyons Avenue. Staff photo
Sheriff’s deputies investigate the scene where a person was killed in a shooting Monday night near the intersection of Newhall Avenue and Lyons Avenue. Staff photo

He said while many local stores are very cooperative, it’s becoming more common for retailers to tell staff not to stop theft attempts. Without a granular level of review it’s impossible to know for sure, but that could play a role in the reduction of robberies, which went from 124 to 94 in the city, comparing 2024 to the previous year. That also wouldn’t completely explain why there was a slight uptick from 15 to 19 over the same time in unincorporated areas. 

In looking at the grand theft auto figures, he didn’t have a likely cause for the downward trend, adding some crimes tend to change as the methods and means change. 

As new tools became available, such as devices that can clone key fobs for high-end cars, deputies tend to see a spike, but those aren’t often consistent, which this year’s numbers show. There were seven more grand theft auto cases in city limits, an increase from 433 to 440, but more than 26% fewer in the neighboring unincorporated areas, a reduction from 132 to 97. 

Santa Clarita Mayor Bill Miranda said he was happy to hear there were lower crime numbers being reported, but he also didn’t want to take too much from just the numbers, he said Wednesday in a phone interview. 

“Well, No. 1, it’s good to know that crime is down, even though it’s two and a half percent, whatever that number is, that’s good to know. But I have to tell you, statistics, many times, can be misleading, and let me tell you why: If you’re a store owner that’s being robbed or that’s threatened to be robbed on a regular basis, statistics don’t mean anything to you. 

“So, I’m always leery of numbers. I like trends, trends I agree with, and the trend is down, and that’s a good thing.” 

The SCV Sheriff’s Station also released its arrest totals this week reflecting its arrest numbers for the past five years — with this year’s figure expected to be preliminary until later this week. 

The numbers show a downward trend, with 5,426 in 2020; 4,760 in 2021; 4,697 in 2022; 4,391 in 2023; and 3,786 in 2024. 

“The arrests have gone down over the last several years — there are a lot of factors,” Diez said.  

While the station receives assistance from department-wide units for targeted operations, it doesn’t have the same resources it had even two years ago. 

The Juvenile Intervention Team, which heavily investigated the nexus between youth and substance abuse-related crimes, was disbanded due to the personnel shortage. The Special Assignment Team was reduced by half. 

Diez said the current staffing level is still at about 65% of its traditional level, which it’s been for some time. 

“All of the missing personnel really, are all filled in with overtime,” Diez said. “So, deputies are certainly working a lot more hours, a lot more overtime hours, in addition to their 40-hour shifts. And it's reasonable that productivity is going to drop off a little bit.” 

Both Diez and Deputy Robert Jensen, spokesman for the station, mentioned how technology helps the department operate more efficiently.  

Diez said he expects city-purchased traffic cameras from Flock, which will help deputies run thousands of license plates a day for things like stolen cars and missing persons, to be up and operational in the next few months. 

Jensen said the department’s online reporting system makes it much easier for deputies to receive reports from the public, which was something the station wants to encourage. It’s particularly helpful for residents who might not need to speak with a deputy immediately but need an incident report for an insurance claim, he added.  

Miranda, who has been aware of the station’s staffing shortage, regularly checks in with Diez at the city’s Public Safety Committee meetings over concerns about station morale, which he reiterated in a phone interview Wednesday. 

Mayor Pro Tem Bill Miranda prepares to speak in front of attendees at the Santa Clarita Valley Mayor's Committee Breakfast to honor National Disability Employment Awareness Month on Thursday morning at the Dr. Dianne G. Van Hook University Center on October 24, 2024. Miranda spoke in place of Mayor Cameron Smyth. Trisha Anas/ The Signal.
Mayor Pro Tem Bill Miranda prepares to speak in front of attendees at the Santa Clarita Valley Mayor's Committee Breakfast to honor National Disability Employment Awareness Month on Thursday morning at the Dr. Dianne G. Van Hook University Center on October 24, 2024. Miranda spoke in place of Mayor Cameron Smyth. Trisha Anas/ The Signal.

At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, Miranda mentioned Santa Clarita should have a statue to show gratitude for its first responders, including sheriff’s deputies, in light of their constant sacrifices in times of emergency, like the recent fires. 

But he also knows that constant sacrifice comes at a cost, he said. 

“We have a fantastic Sheriff's Department here in Santa Clarita. We're very proud of them and the work they do. Unfortunately, they're working, as I said at the council meeting (Tuesday), some of them are working incredible shifts, and I'm worried about that because the Sheriff's Department is still very much understaffed,” Miranda said Wednesday. “I'm worried about that because when you have sheriff's deputies who are great, as I said, when you have them tired and overworked, that's when sometimes, mistakes can be made. And I'm very worried about that.” 

Residents can file a report online with the SCV Sheriff’s Station by visiting lasd.org/sorts. 

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