Crime rates in Chico have increased in the past several years. Over 2,200 alcohol related arrests occurred in the past year in Chico.
One-thousand two-hundred sixty-seven of the arrests in 2008 were made to individuals who were found intoxicated in public; 850 were DUI arrests.
According to the Chico Police Department (CPD), they are currently helping with all they can to station police officers in areas where crimes are most committed.
“When a criminal sees a police officer in the neighborhood, they are less likely to commit a crime,” said Detective Sergeant Rob Merrifield.
Statistics provided by the Chico PD show that a majority of the crimes committed in Chico occurred in the more student-populated areas, including CSU Chico’s north and south c ampus and Downtown Chico.
The rapes and robberies that occurred in 2008 were typically committed downtown and in close proximity to the CSU Chico campus, where many students reside. The Chico PD tries to inform students of possible dangers, and remind them to be cautious and alert in public.
“We give crime prevention tips to college students and we also have workshops to inform community groups such as neighborhood watches,” said Merrified.
Larceny, burglary, and theft were accompanied by auto thefts as the most common crimes in Chico.
Thieves stole sixteen vehicles early this May, 12 of which were Hondas. The vehicles were stolen from all over Chico, but a majority of the auto-thefts in previous years had occurred in or near downtown Chico. Chico police recovered at least eight of the stolen vehicles.
Two-hundred eighty-five auto thefts occurred in 2008, while 556 occurred in 2004. About nine percent of all of 2007’s crimes committed auto thefts.
Two-thousand seven-hundred thirty-two property crimes were committed in 2008, 2,467 in 2007, and 2,885 in 2004.
A total of 3,088 crimes were committed in 2008, an increase from the 2007 number of 2,932. However, these previous years’ records have not exceeded 2004’s record of 3,190 crimes.