Crime Down Despite Poor Economy

A FBI report shows preliminary crime rates down for the third straight year.

In 2009, violent crime dropped 5.5% around the country.

Property crime, like burglaries and auto theft, also dropped 4.9%.

It happened in a year where people lost their jobs and tightened their budgets.

“You will always find people that will tell you crime goes up when the economy is bad,” said Desert Hot Springs Police Sergeant Dan Bresler, who’s not sure there’s a connection between the economy and crime.

“As far as street crimes go and drive-by shootings and vehicle thefts, my personal experience has been … I don’t know that has a lot to do with it,” said Bressler.

Desert Hot Springs and other valley cities say crime was also down across the board.

But Bresler says assault, namely domestic violence, went up in his city.

He’s says this type of crime might be the exception.

“When you don’t have a job, possibly drink more, you get into more fights due to financial issues, with your spouse or significant other. And, yeah, domestic violence does go up,” said Bressler.

Bresler says much of their success came from adding officers, made possible through a utility tax voters approved last year.

While there’s no clear connection between the recession and crime, the economy is having an impact on local police departments.

Desert Hot Springs is one of only a few departments that have actually added officers.

Other cities, like Palm Springs, are looking for ways to keep them.

The city saw a big drop in crime in 2009.

But they recently had to lay off officers and close the city jail.

The Indio Police Department didn’t fill a dozen positions and laid off 9 others.

“As our chief says, we’re learning to do more with less. But we’ve had those challenges in the past and we can’t take everything for granted and we have to be prepared for it,” Indio Police spokesman Ben Guitron.