The crime rate in Turlock rose by just the slightest margin in 2013, even though the year saw drops in all types of violent crimes.
In Turlock the crime rate for all part one crimes, which are considered the most significant and tracked through the Uniform Crime Reporting System, rose by .3 percentage point over 2012’s rate.
Since experiencing a drop of 11.25 percent in 2010, Turlock’s part one crime rate has mostly stayed flat. Considering that the department has seen a reduction in staffing over the years and what Police Chief Rob Jackson described as an “increase in the criminal element in our community” from the California Prison Realignment Project, staying at a relatively flat rate was an achievement all in itself.
“My prediction that the crime trend would greatly increase hasn’t come to fruition here in Turlock,” Jackson told the Turlock City Council Tuesday when he presented the department’s annual report.
The Turlock Police Department’s annual report shows there were 2,951 part one crimes reported in 2013, nine more than the 2,942 reported in 2012 and six less than the 2,957 reported in 2011.
All violent crime fell in 2013, according to the annual report. There were two homicides in 2013, compared to five in 2012. Forcible rapes saw a decrease from 20 in 2012 to 12 in 2013. There were 81 robberies in 2013, down from 97 in 2012. Aggravated assaults came in at 216 in 2013, compared to 329 in 2012.
The part one crimes responsible for the slight increase were property crimes. There were 626 reported burglaries in 2013, one more than was reported in 2012. Larceny had the largest increase, with 1,583 reported in 2013, compared to 1,355 in 2012.
The only other property crime included in the part one crimes were motor vehicle thefts, which dropped from 511 in 2012 to 431 in 2013.
The police department reported 66,094 calls for service in 2013, up by 684 calls from the year prior. The 66,094 calls for service resulted in 3,641 arrests. Of those arrests some type of force was used 28 times, the report stated.
“That speaks volumes about the abilities our officers have and how they do business,” Jackson said. “It’s a testament to our organization.
The most common calls for service included suspicious person (3,335); disturbance (1,934); and 911 hang ups (1,747).
Response times for priority one calls in 2013 saw an increase. Priority one calls, considered the most urgent, had an average response time of 7:36, up from 7:04 in 2012. Priority two calls had an average response time of 12:44, which is down from the average time of 14:15 in 2012. Priority three calls had an average response time of 35:28, down from the average time of 37:19 in 2012. Priority four calls saw a slight decrease from 49:05 in 2012 to 48:41 in 2013.