Palm Springs Crime Rate Drops 12.2%

PALM SPRINGS -A 12.2 percent drop in violent crimes in Palm Springs last year is due to hard work and new crime-fighting tools, the city’s police chief said today.

“The dramatic decrease in crime is a direct result of the extremely hard work of all the men and women, sworn and civilian, along with your volunteers,” said Palm Springs police Chief David Dominguez.

He also credited CompStat — short for Computer Statistics — a program to map crimes, identify hot spots and forecast crime trends.

The Palm Springs Police Department has also expanded policing efforts by assigning officers and supervisors to specific neighborhoods in collaboration with the city’s Office of Neighborhood Involvement, the chief said.

Violent crimes, which include murder, forcible rape, robbery and assaults, were down 12.2 percent last year compared to 2008, said Officer Melissa Desmarais.

Reported violent aggravated assaults dropped from 212 in 2008 to 163 in 2009.

Only one person was reported murdered in the city all of last year, down from two homicides the year before, Desmarais said.

The city also saw a 11.6 percent decline in property crimes, which include burglary, larceny and stolen vehicles, according to Desmarais.

The department had to make budget cuts last year, but the reductions in spending did not impact service levels, she said.

“We have not been told of any cuts that we are going to receive in public safety at this point,” Desmarais said.

Dominguez also attributed the drop in crime to the support of the City Council, mayor and city manager, despite the difficult economic times.

“The police department continues to make Palm Springs a safer place to live, work and visit,” Dominguez said.