The new FBI crime statistics report is out, and “In Santa Ana, the most populous city in the county, the violent crime rate dropped by 1.6 percent in 2007. Still, with 1,947 violent crimes reported, the city had a rate of 57.2 violent crimes per 10,000 residents, the highest in the county,” according to the O.C. Register.
Go to Councilman Vince Sarmiento’s campaign website and check out what he has to say about crime rates in Santa Ana, “The Santa Ana Police Department announces that it has experienced a continued decline in homicide, rape assaults, burglary, larceny, and auto theft. Crime rate reports indicate a 20% decrease over the last two years. Chief Paul M. Walters stated, “This continued decrease in crime is a tribute to the dedication and hard work the men and women of the Santa Ana Police department do on a daily basis, in partnership with our residents, community leaders, and business owners that make the safety and security of our community a top priority.”
Interesting. Where is Sarmiento getting his data? It would appear that he is way off. True, according to the FBI crime has gone down by less than two percent in Santa Ana – but we are number one, and it isn’t close, in the County the number of violent crimes per resident. See the table above, which is courtesy of the O.C. Register.
I wish I could share with you what Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido and Councilwoman Claudia Alvarez are saying about crime in our city, but a search of the Internet reveals that they don’t have campaign websites up yet. However, it is rather funny that searching for their names turns up dozens of Orange Juice stories about them. If any local voters use the Internet to research these folks, the results won’t be good for Pulido and Alvarez, or Sarmiento for that matter…
Can we turn things around in Santa Ana? I think so. For twenty years Pulido and company have ignored much of the community – and they have no plan as to how to curb crime. Their plan appears to be to use more cops, but they have cut the number of cops on the streets on a regular basis. Clearly it is time to try something else.
We need to do more to keep our kids on the straight and narrow. Rather than underwriting the Discovery Science Center’s planned $60 million expansion, let’s build micro-libraries and pocket parks! And let’s commit to having MORE summer programs and more learning opportunities throughout the year.
And it is a shame that we pay $2 million a year to the Bowers Museum and hardly get anything out of that for our local populace. If we are going to pay for the Bower’s operations, let’s get one free day per week for local residents. And let us choose what day we go there!
And how can we get kids involved in our Artists’ Village? I would love to see free art classes offered there – who knows what incredible talent is going to waste in our inner city? Let’s show these kids what they are capable of – let’s empower them to make better choices.
I think many of our wayward youths just don’t have any hope for a better life. The City of Santa Ana needs to get into the hope business in a big way…if we want to bring crime down in our town.
As a resident of santa ana it is all too often that another homicide occured on our local streets. This is almost a norm in some neighborhoods. It is despiteful to know that our police officers are at the top of their paygrade, in comparison to others across the state. The department needs to be more proactive & less reactive.
how many gangs are there that the police nows of. do they now all the names to every gang in santa ana. what is the percent of gang violence in santa ana. have most of the gangs captured or only some gangs do you think their is a chanse that most of the people who have died in the streets are because of gang violence or because of car accidents
In response to your question about have the gangs been caught, if that was it, there are currently 96 active gangs in Santa Ana. The city currently has no anti-gang programs because of budget cuts.
my boyfriend lives in santa ana, and i live closer to L.A it really scares me that there is so much crime there and so much gang activity. mayor pulido needs to get off his ass and be more proactive!
Santa Ana is a ghetto anyway, what do you expect… It will never get any better!!! The SO-CALLED Politicians could care less, ghetto’s are put in place for a reason. As long as the Fat-Cats (Politicians) are doing well, nothing will ever get done… Read this 20 years from now and show me the change. The Underground drug world & gangs own Santa Ana and always will. Good luck seeing any change…
Ok, I will tackle this one tomorrow!
I do agree that we need more programs for the kids and the young teens living in Santa Ana. However it is also the responsibility of the parents or guardian of the child to ensure that they are on the right path. The child retains and acts on what he/she observes at home, There is only so much that the city can offer, it is up to the resident to make the right decision. And to be honest it is not always the best one. So yes you can rip on the SAPD and the city all you want for all their attempt efforts, but what are you contributing to ensure this city becomes safer?