LBPD Crime Stats
LONG BEACH — Long Beach achieved a 40-year low for violent crime, according to the final 2012 crime statistics that the Long Beach Police Department released Jan. 25.
The overall total of citywide violent crimes decreased by 5.3 percent this past year. The violent crime rate in Long Beach is the lowest it has been since 1972.
Murders in 2012 was the only violent crime category to increase, but was 14.3 percent below the 5-year average.  In 2011 the city saw the lowest number of murders in recorded history at 26*.  Of the 30 murders in 2012, 14 were investigated as gang related.
In the property crime category, Long Beach experienced an increase of 10 percent, most notably due to residential and garage burglaries, and vehicle thefts. Residential burglaries were up 19 percent, while garage burglaries increased by 46.2 percent. Auto theft incidents increased by 19.1 percent, with 421 more incidents being reported in 2012 than in 2011. Continue reading →