2017 FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Data Shows a Decrease in Oxnard Crime
The FBI gathers crime statistics from law enforcement agencies each year as part of their Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program. The UCR Program collects data on four violent crime and four property crime categories. The purpose of the program is to generate a reliable set of crime statistics for use by law enforcement. The Oxnard Police Department has been a participating UCR agency for over forty (40) years and believes it is important to share the crime data with our residents.
The police department continued to focus on crime prevention efforts in 2017 for another successful decrease in the number of crimes committed in Oxnard. The 11.1% overall decrease in crime translated to 782 crimes prevented in comparison to last year. The UCR crime categories and the reported crime data for 2016 and 2017 are listed below:
| Part I Crime | 2016 | 2017 | Percent Change | Num. Diff. |
| Violent Crimes | ||||
| Homicide | 12 | 15 | 25.0% | 3 |
| Rape | 69 | 65 | -5.8% | -4 |
| Robbery | 429 | 430 | 0.2% | 1 |
| Aggr. Assault | 438 | 398 | -9.1% | -40 |
| Total | 948 | 908 | -4.2% | -40 |
| Property Crimes | ||||
| Burglary | 978 | 787 | -19.5% | -191 |
| Motor Veh Theft | 786 | 693 | -11.8% | -93 |
| Larceny | 4,309 | 3,848 | -10.7% | -461 |
| Arson | 40 | 43 | 2.5% | 3 |
| Total | 6,113 | 5,371 | -12.1% | -742 |
| Grand Total | 7,061 | 6,279 | -11.1% | -782 |
Police Chief Scott Whitney said about the reduction in overall crime:
“At the beginning of 2017, we set an ambitious goal for our organization of reducing overall Part One crime by 10%. Our officers in our neighborhoods as well as our detectives tasked with investigating these crimes shifted their focus from traditional policing methods to intelligence-led policing methods focused on two key areas: 1) Preventing crimes from ever happening, and 2) targeting chronic and repeat offenders responsible for a bulk of our crime. We believe these methods are reflected in the UCR data and are very excited to continue towards another crime reduction in 2018.”
Aggravated Assaults
For purposes of crime classification and reporting, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the California Department of Justice define aggravated assault as “an unlawful attack by one person upon another for the purpose of inflicting severe or aggravated bodily injury. This type of assault is accompanied by the use of a weapon or by means likely to produce death or great bodily harm.”
| 2016 | 2017 | Percent Change | Num. Diff. | |
| Firearm | 131 | 123 | -6.1% | -8 |
| Knife | 153 | 117 | -22.5% | -36 |
| Other Weapon | 120 | 123 | 2.5% | 3 |
| F/F/H | 34 | 35 | 2.9% | 1 |
| Total | 438 | 398 | -9.1% | -40 |
Aggravated assaults decreased by 9.1% with 40 fewer aggravated assaults in 2017 as compared to 2016 statistics. Overall, aggravated assaults within the City of Oxnard have been trending downward for decades. During calendar year 1994, there were 1,073 aggravated assaults reported in the City with a population of 50,000 fewer people as compared to 398 during 2017.
Robberies
For purposes of crime classification and reporting, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the California Department of Justice define robbery as “The taking or attempting to take anything of value from the care, custody, or control of a person or persons by force or threat of force or violence and/or by putting the victim in fear.”
| Robbery | 2016 | 2017 | Percent Change | Num. Diff. |
| Type | ||||
| Business | 116 | 96 | -17.2% | -20 |
| Person | 286 | 294 | 2.8% | 8 |
| Carjacking | 27 | 40 | 48.1% | 13 |
| Total | 429 | 430 | 0.2% | 1 |
The number of robberies increased from 429 in 2016 to 430 in 2017. Carjacking had the largest increase with a 48.1% jump from the last year. Robberies to businesses realized the largest decrease of 17.2%.
Larcenies (Thefts)
For purposes of crime classification and reporting, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the California Department of Justice define larceny as “an unlawful taking, carrying, leading, or riding away of property from the possession or constructive possession of another.”
The crime category of larceny (theft) decreased by 10.7% overall. There were 4,309 larcenies reported during calendar year 2016 and 3,848 during 2017, a decrease of 461 incidents. The two driving forces behind the larceny crime rate continue to be Shoplifting and Thefts from Motor Vehicles, accounting for 59% of all thefts in the City of Oxnard. Larceny is responsible for 61% of the total crime picture and is the most preventable.
“We placed an emphasis on shoplifting reduction in 2017 and we’re proud of the efforts of our officers in making it happen,” stated Assistant Chief Eric S. Sonstegard, who oversees the Investigative Services Bureau. Assistant Chief Sonstegard added, “You do not realize an 18% reduction by accident. It’s through the concerted crime prevention efforts of our property crimes investigators that we were able to put mechanisms in place to prevent these crimes from ever happening.”
Motor Vehicle Theft
For purposes of crime classification and reporting, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the California Department of Justice define motor vehicle theft as “the theft or attempted theft of a motor vehicle.” A motor vehicle is defined as a self-propelled vehicle that runs on land surface.
| Sub-Code | 2016 | 2017 | % CHG | NUM DIFF |
| Auto / SUV | 675 | 542 | -19.7% | -133 |
| Truck / Buses | 92 | 135 | 46.7% | 43 |
| Other Veh (M/C) | 19 | 16 | -15.8% | -3 |
| Total | 786 | 693 | -11.8% | -93 |
Motor vehicle theft decreased 11.8%. There were 786 motor vehicle thefts reported during calendar year 2016 and 693 during 2017, 93 fewer crimes.
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