Report: Big Increase in La Crescenta Property Crime Rates in 2013

While incidences of every category violent crime has decreased or stayed about the same in the first six months of 2013, there has been a big spike in property crime compared to the same period of time in 2012 in La Crescenta.

That's according to a recently-released Sheriff's Department crime summary report that displays reported incidents and crime rates for the first six months of 2013—through June 30—compared to the same period last year and five years ago.

Reported Part I crimes are up 18.4 percent compared to the same time period last year. Those crimes include homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny/theft, motor vehicle theft and arson.

However, the actual increase has come entirely in property crime - burglaries are up 77.8 percent, with 48 in the first six months of 2013 compared to 27 last year; theft is up 34.6 percent.

Curiously, in neighboring La Canada Flintridge, patrolled by the same station, crimes in those categories have actually dropped.

Station officials have been aware of the problem - at a Town Council meeting last month they noted they had set up extra patrols to help deal with the problem.

In April, the department announced they believed a professional burglary team had targeted the area and was responsible for a lot of the crimes.

You can see more of the crime summary for La Crescenta during the first half of 2013 and previous years here.

The report refers only to areas of the Crescenta Valley patrolled by the Sheriff's Department - Montrose is served by the Glendale Police Department.

Donna Evans contributed to this report