Crime Rates Rise due to Prop. 47, D.A. Says

With Proposition 47 still new to the state, members of the Inland Empire are beginning to see the effects of its passage. Last week, Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin made a presentation in front of the Board of Supervisors, urging them for 19.9 million dollars in public safety funding.

According to Hestrin, his office is working at “bone and muscle,” with limited resources and staffing. On top of staffing challenges, Hestrin provided crime statistics to the Board of Supervisors on how crime has significantly increased from quarter 1 in 2014 to quarter 2 in 2015.

• Riverside has seen a 6.8 percent increase in overall crime.
• Cathedral City has seen a 90 percent increase in violent crime.
• Desert Hot Springs has seen a 54.5 percent in robberies.
• Murrieta, which has been touted as the County’s safest city, has seen an increase of 65 percent of overall crime. They have also had a 64.2 percent increase in violent crime and a 49 percent increase in vehicle theft.
• Overall, Riverside County has seen a 16 percent increase in violent crime, largely due to robberies and aggravated assaults.

“That is absolutely unacceptable to those who live in that city and that area,” Hestrin said, referring to Murrieta’s growing crime rate.

“If you have someone who commits 100 petty thefts in a row, it’s always a misdemeanor. Stealing a gun [valued at under $900] is always a misdemeanor,” Hestrin explained to the Board. “It’s hampering our ability to protect the public.”

A few years ago, the District Attorney’s office was charged with monitoring sex offenders. The SAFE Task Force was created to make sure sex offenders were remaining in compliance and that, in particular, they were making officials known of their residence. Having them register their residence with the SAFE Task Force allowed officials to monitor their whereabouts and keep them away from children, schools and parks.

From April 2008 to April 2015, non-compliant sex offenders have more than doubled. During that same period, the District Attorney’s office went from 13 SAFE Task Force Investigators to six.

In October 2009, the D.A.’s office had 28 officers working on the Gang Task Force. As of today, there are 12 officers.