Aliso Viejo Crime Report Released For 2018: FBI

ALISO VIEJO, CA — Violent crime in many Orange County cities rose in 2018, while almost the entire county saw property-related crimes drop, according to FBI statistics released Monday.

The crime rankings, released by the FBI Monday, provide statistics on violent and property-related criminal activity committed throughout 2018 in greater Orange County. The statistics focus on the dark side of illegal activity in the region. Still, there is much the numbers don't show, an FBI spokesperson said of the annual crime stats release. The figures for violent crimes and property crimes don't add up to why crime is committed in one city or another, in a particular region, like Orange County.

In Aliso Viejo, violent crimes dropped slightly, with 44 in 2017 and 43 last year. Property crimes, however, increased from 394 to 445 in 2018.

Irvine maintained its role as the "safest city" of its size in the county for the 14th year, running.

The city touted their achievement, saying the win comes through "strong partnerships with our community," Irving Mayor Christina Shea said. "(Irvine's police department) continually strives to deliver exceptional service, keeping Irvine the safest city to live, work, and play."

The number of violent crimes was down in Irvine, from 169 in 2017 to 160 in 2018. There were two murders in Irvine in 2017, and none in 2018. Rapes decreased from 46 to 40. Robberies dropped from 55 to 53, while aggravated assaults were nearly even -- with 66 in 2017 and 67 in 2018.
Still, Irvine was one of those rare OC cities that saw a rise in property crimes, going up slightly, from 3,635 in 2017 and 3,659 in 2018.

Brea saw violent crimes drop from 114 in 2017 to 83 last year and a drop in property crimes during the same period from 1,440 to 1,293.

In Buena Park, violent crimes dropped from 292 to 257 from 2017 to last year, and property crimes decreased from 2,814 to 2,583.

In Costa Mesa, violent crimes dropped from 361 to 344 from 2017 to 2018, and property crimes decreased from 4,298 to 3,792.

Violent crimes in Cypress dropped from 69 to 58, and property crimes dipped from 726 to 704.
Dana Point saw an uptick in violent crimes from 64 in 2017 to 69 last year, but property crimes in the south Orange County city dipped from 515 in 2017 to 504 last year.

In Fountain Valley, violent crimes dropped from 68 in 2017 to 52 last year, with property crimes decreasing from 1,581 to 1,496 in 2018.

Fullerton's violent crime incidents increased from 293 in 2017 to 332 last year, but property crimes dropped from 3,952 to 3,660.

In Huntington Beach, violent crimes dropped from 461 in 2017 to 429 last year, and property crimes decreased from 4,285 to 3,993.

Laguna Beach was one of the rare communities in 2018 that saw both the drop of violent and property crimes, according to the report. Laguna Beach's violent crime rate dropped from 100 in 2017 to 90 last year, and property crimes fell from 559 in 2017 to 443 in 2018.

In Laguna Hills, there were 44 violent crimes reported in 2017 and 55 last year, with property crimes during 2018, decreasing from 467 to 402.

Laguna Niguel's violent crime rate nearly doubled -- from 54 in 2017 to 81 last year. Property crime also rose, up from 573 in 2017 to 640 in 2018.

Laguna Wood's violent crimes increased from four in 2017 to 10 last year, and property crimes dropped from 127 in 2017 to 108 last year.

In La Habra, violent crimes dropped from 137 in 2017 to 111 last year, and property crimes dipped from 1,251 to 1,155 in 2018.

Lake Forest's violent crime incidents took a jump, from 133 in 2017 to 159 last year. Property crimes were relatively even with 757 in 2017 and 761 in 2018.

Newport Beach's violent crime incidents remained the same, with 124 recorded in 2017 and last year. Property crimes dropped from 2,123 to 2,073 in 2018.

Violent crime incidents in Orange dropped significantly, from 218 in 2017 to 160 last year, while property crimes went from 2,584 to 2,478 in 2018.

Los Alamitos' violent crime rate was halved from 16 in 2017 to eight last year, and property crimes dropped from 202 to 156 in 2018.

The number of violent crimes in Mission Viejo increased from 101 in 2017 to 113 last year, but property crimes were down in 2018, from 969 to 937.

Violent crimes jumped from 89 in 2017 in Placentia to 120 last year, and property crimes were also on the rise -- from 864 to 904.

San Clemente's violent crime rate increased from 91 in 2017 to 114 last year, and property crimes were also up from 812 to 900.

San Juan Capistrano's violent crime incidents were about even with 82 in 2017 to 84 last year, while property crimes were down from 448 to 351.

Santa Ana's violent crime incidents dipped from 1,640 in 2017 to 1,571 last year, with murders the same at 21. Property crimes dropped from 7,017 in 2017 to 6,390 last year.

Stanton's violent crime rate went from 143 in 2017 to 135 last year with property crimes dipping from 649 to 618 in 2018.

In Tustin, violent crimes decreased from 132 in 2017 to 122 last year, and property crimes were down from 1949 in 2017 to 1,874 last year.

Westminster's violent crime incidents remained relatively similar -- 281 in 2017 compared to 286 last year -- and property crimes went from 2,825 in 2017 to 2,433 last year.

Yorba Linda's violent crime rate was almost uncharged, 45 incidents in 2017 compared to 44 last year, but property crimes increased from 714 in 2017 to 812 last year.

FBI officials warned against using the statistics to draw direct conclusions about whether a specific city is safe or not. They cautioned against simplistic analyses to create misleading perceptions, reporting that doing so could "adversely affect communities and their residents."