Administrative
Report
N.2., File # 22-3729 Meeting Date: 2/15/2022
To: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
From: KEITH KAUFFMAN, CHIEF OF POLICE
TITLE
DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON CRIME AND VEHICLE COLLISION STATISTICS AND TRENDS FOR CALENDAR YEAR 2021
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City of Redondo Beach experienced a gradual 24% decrease in crime from 2016 - 2019, but saw a 4% increase in 2020 followed by a, sharp, 17% increase in 2021. As crime is trending up across major cities around the country, Redondo Beach is seeing many of the same trends, especially with aggravated assaults.
Traffic collision data when compared against the statistics going back to 2016, appear to be fairly consistent and within the year over year averages. However, when it comes to hit and run collisions, we had 255 in 2021, well above the average of the past 6 years and significantly higher than we normally see in any one year.
BACKGROUND
The City Council recently made a referral to staff for the police department to present 2021 crime and traffic collision data to get a better sense of the trends occurring in the City. Although it would be too voluminous to present the data set of each crime and collision category here, attached are the sets of statics that will be used during the discussion. Refer to the 2021 End of Year Part 1 Crime Stats, Part 1 Crime 6-Year Comparison Charts, and the Traffic Collision Statistics Report for 2016-2021.
Crime Rates
Increasing crime rates across the nation are causing real concern in communities and for good reason. Until 2020, the City of Redondo Beach saw a gradual decrease in Part 1 Crimes. Part 1 Crime data is reported by every law enforcement agency in the country and collected by the Criminal Justice Information Services Division of the FBI. Part 1 Crimes include: homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, stolen vehicle, and arson.
A general overview of Part 1 Crime data going back to the beginning of 2016 shows a gradual and fairly consistent 24% drop in Part 1 Crime through 2019. By the end of 2020, Part 1 Crime was up by 4% (as compared to 2019), and by the end of 2021, we saw a drastic 17% increase beyond 2020.
Further examination of the spike in crime for 2021 reveals a 68% increase in aggravated assaults.
By FBI definition, an aggravated assault is an unlawful attack by one person upon another for the purpose of inflicting severe or aggravated bodily injury. With a previous 6 year average of 97
N.2., File # 22-3729 Meeting Date: 2/15/2022
purpose of inflicting severe or aggravated bodily injury. With a previous 6 year average of 97 aggravated assaults, 2021 had 168. What is particularly disturbing is the sharp increase in aggravated assaults against police officers. We were averaging 30 assaults on officers a year from 2016 - 2019. In 2020 we had 52, and in 2021, we had 53. Notice the sharp increase in the summer months of 2020 during the time of national civil unrest.
ASSAULTS ON POLICE OFFICERS
Traffic Collisions
Statistics retained on traffic collisions in the City include: total collision reports, fatal, non-injury, injury, total injured parties, vehicle vs. pedestrian, pedestrians injured, vehicle vs. bicyclist, bicyclists injured, DUI, and hit and run collisions. In 2021, the numbers in every aforementioned category are within the range of the average of the five prior years. The only category that stands out is hit and run collisions with a total of 255, where the 5-year average was 215.
The Special Operations Bureau of the Police Department that houses the traffic unit, continuously monitors traffic collisions in the City and looks for trends that caused the accidents. If there is a pattern that is based on environmental design, they work directly with the City Traffic Engineer. With each accident we also determine fault or cause by recording what we refer to as the Primary Collision Factor (PCF). These PCFs become the focus for enforcement by the officers in the field. Below is the list by year of the top three PCFs (the specific PCF quantities in 2016, 2017 and 2018 were not immediately available):
2016:
1 - Failure to Yield the Right of Way
2 - Unsafe Speed
3 - DUI
2017:
1 - Unsafe Speed
2 - Failure to Yield the Right of Way
3 - Unsafe Turning Movement
2018:
1 - Failure to Yield the Right of Way
2 - Unsafe Speed
3 - DUI
N.2., File # 22-3729 Meeting Date: 2/15/2022
2019:
1 - Unsafe Turning Movement 147
2 - Unsafe Speed 127
3 - Failure to Yield the Right of Way 105
2020:
1 - Unsafe Turning Movement 140
2 - Unsafe Speed 85
3 - DUI 74
2021:
1 - Unsafe Turning Movement 118
2 - Unsafe Speed 100
3 - DUI 91
In the City of Redondo Beach, our drivers should take extra care and precautions when making turns or yielding the right of way, driving at unsafe speeds, and they should be reminded to never drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Behavioral changes in these three areas would greatly reduce the number of vehicle collisions and make for a much safer Redondo Beach.
COORDINATION
The administrative report was prepared by staff in the Police Department.
FISCAL IMPACT
Funding for the collection and presentation of annual crime statistics is available in the Police Department’s annual budget.
APPROVED BY:
Mike Witzansky, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
12-21 Part 1 Crime Report
Crime 2021 6-Year
Collisions 2021 6-year