"We'll see teens joy-riding. They're speeding up and down the street. More often than not, it's stolen," said David Benavides, a neighborhood watch organizer who is raising a 4-year-old daughter and 3-month-old boy with his wife Emily.
Over the last decade, he said, he's watched gang killings decline, but he said that obscures another reality.
"There are two gangs within blocks of here, and while there may not be as many killings as before, the signs of their many other crimes are still all around us.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Friday August 11, 2006 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 43 words Type of Material: Correction
Crime rates: An article in Tuesday's A Section stated that property crime rates increased in a quarter of large Orange County cities from 2000 to 2005. Property crime rates were up in six of eight large cities, as shown in an accompanying graphic.
"My house got tagged, and meth addiction has never been higher around here," he said.
*
In Santa Ana, detectives are dealing with crime territories only a few miles across. In the high desert, police struggle to cover a 200-mile territory.
Detectives finally tracked down L'il George, not in Adelanto but 1,750 miles away in St. Louis. They did it by tracking his cellphone calls through global positioning technology.
L'il George, whose real name is DeAnthony George Wilson, is charged with murder and is scheduled to appear in San Bernardino County Superior Court in Victorville for a pre-preliminary hearing Wednesday.
But the gang crime team had little time to celebrate Wilson's capture.
"It's a big desert," said Det. Todd Espindola, the unit's second in command. "We never catch up."
Times staff writer Andrew Blankstein contributed to this report.
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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)
Crime in Southland cities
The rate of violent crime declined across most of Southern California between 2000 and 2005, according to a preliminary nationwide FBI report covering cities of 100,000 or more. Los Angeles County had the largest decreases in the region. The change was uneven in Orange County, with increases in half the cities.
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Crime rates
A large percentage decline doesn't necessarily mean a safe city. Los Angeles has seen violent crimes reduced by 40.3% since 2000, but at 807 per 100,000 population, the city still is one of the most violent in Southern California.
*--* Crimes per % change % change 100,000 population, 2000-05 2000-05 2005
Violent Property Violent Property
Los Angeles County Burbank 232 2,616 -21.0 -8.0 Downey 397 3,152 12.6 9.8 El Monte 568 2,805 -38.7 23.7 Glendale 170 1,856 -55.2 -16.0 Inglewood 900 2,645 -24.1 -7.8 Lancaster 892 3,593 -3.9 41.8 Long Beach 696 2,789 -3.9 -15.7 Los Angeles 807 3,037 -40.3 -15.0 Norwalk 432 2,607 -33.4 6.3 Palmdale 767 3,075 -11.1 1.4 Pasadena 553 3,040 4.7 -15.1 Pomona 773 3,336 -21.0 3.5 Santa Clarita 201 2,144 -17.8 21.9 South Gate 519 2,870 -40.1 9.0 Torrance 218 2,262 -33.3 -17.9 West Covina 313 3,629 -17.2 -7.2
Orange County Anaheim 473 2,806 2.8 0.7 Costa Mesa 271 3,410 4.5 13.2 Fullerton 289 3,423 16.5 13.2 Garden Grove 435 2,661 -6.1 -6.2 Huntington Beach 233 2,063 25.7 0.6 Irvine 82 1,774 -45.7 -14.0 Orange 164 2,522 -37.0 5.2 Santa Ana 527 2,981 -9.0 6.1
Riverside County Corona 221 3,093 -17.0 14.2 Moreno Valley 455 3,771 -38.8 10.6 Riverside 680 4,745 -7.9 23.0
San Bernardino Fontana 458 2,307 -40.2 -15.4 County Ontario 507 3,998 -31.6 -8.3 Rancho Cucamonga 229 2,727 12.8 5.2 Rialto 808 3,531 7.9 8.0 San Bernardino 1,253 5,649 15.0 10.2
Ventura County Oxnard 441 2,361 -18.5 -22.0 Simi Valley 142 1,930 23.7 43.5 Thousand Oaks 137 1,422 -8.6 -2.8 Ventura 281 3,713 -16.2 25.4
*--*
Los Angeles
Violent crime: -35.7%
Property crime: -9.8%
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Orange
Violent crime: -4.4%
Property crime: 3.7%
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Riverside
Violent crime: -20.2%
Property crime: 19.1%
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San Bernardino
Violent crime: -10.6%
Property crime: -0.6%
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Ventura
Violent crime: -10.7%
Property crime: 4.1%
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Recent regional explainer graphics are available at latimes.com/localgraphics
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Note: Violent crimes include homicide and non-negligent manslaughter, robbery, forcible rape and aggravated assault. Property crimes include burglary, larceny-theft, vehicle theft and arson.
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Sources: ESRI, FBI Uniform Crime Reports. Data analysis by DOUG SMITH
