EDITOR’S NOTE: This story erred in listing the location of the city’s Public Safety Commission meeting tonight (Monday, July 11). It will be held at 6:30 p.m. in the meeting room at West Hollywood City Hall on the southwest corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and Sweetzer. Parking is available at the Kings Road garage on Santa Monica Boulevard. The story has been changed to note the correct location.
Serious crimes in West Hollywood were up 6% in June over the same month the year before according to statistics from the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station. Overall, serious crime incidents increased by 9% on the city’s Westside and 6% in the Center city and remained the same on the Eastside.
Petty theft, defined as theft of items valued at $950 or less, accounted for the largest single category of crime, with 52 incidents citywide compared to 48 in June 2015, an increase of 8%. Those incidents, however, showed an increase of 133% on the city’s Westside, the site of most of its nightlife, with a total of 14 last month. Incidents of petty theft declined from 27 in June of last year to 22 last month on the Eastside and increased from a modest one incident in June 2015 to two incidents last month in the Center City area.
The biggest percentage increase was in grand theft auto, which involves stealing a car, with 12 incidents recorded last month compared with four in June 2015, an increase of 200%. Six of those incidents took place on the Westside.
Grand theft, theft of items worth more than $950, was relatively constant, with 16 incidents reported last month. Vehicle burglaries accounted for 16 of the serious crime incidents last month, up 45% from April 2015. Residential burglaries and structural burglaries (burglaries from buildings that aren’t residential) showed a big increase, with seven residential burglaries in June 2015 and 12 last month and an increase from eight to 12 structural burglaries over the same time frame. Five of the 12 residential burglaries took place on the city’s Westside and four on the Eastside. Seven of the 12 structural burglaries last month took place on the Westside, an increase from four in June of last year.
Another major percentage increase was in incidents of rape, which increased from two in June 2015 to five last month. Three of those were reported as occurring on the Westside and two in the Center City. Incidents of vehicle burglary dropped 26% to 20 last month from 27 in June 2015. The West Hollywood Sheriff’s Department has been regularly warning residents not to leave valuables in cars.
The Sheriff’s station will present the crime report at the monthly Public Safety Commission meeting at 6:30 p.m. tonight in the meeting room at West Hollywood City Hall on the southwest corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and Sweetzer. Parking is available at the Kings Road garage on Santa Monica Boulevard.
W. T. F. !?