La Quinta reports declines in crime, save for an uptick in motor vehicle thefts

La Quinta has seen reductions in most categories of crime over the past decade with the exception of motor vehicle thefts, a trend officials credit to increased patrols in response to reports.

The city has seen substantial drops in aggravated assaults, robberies and burglaries since 2010. And the recent uptick in motor vehicle thefts remains below decade highs the city reported in 2012 and 2013.

"Any changes in crime data that are negative are always a concern and become a priority to address," City Manager Jon McMillen said.

Sheriff’s Lt. Jeff Buompensiero, La Quinta’s assistant police chief, said the general downward trend in crime can be attributed to an increase in patrols when patterns are noticed.

"When a problem area is identified, we deploy extra patrols and use the SET (special enforcement) traffic team to saturate the areas," he said.

"The La Quinta Special Enforcement Team has been very proactive in combating all types of crime occurring in the city," Buompensiero said.

La Quinta contracts with the Riverside County Sheriff's Department for police services. It's among the highest staffed cities per capita that contract with the sheriff's department, Buompensiero said.

Even as costs have gone up — from $14.45 million for fiscal 2016-17 to a projected $17.85 million in 2021-22 — La Quinta has not reduced the number of patrol positions.

To help with the rising cost of law enforcement, La Quinta’s voters approved Measure G in 2016, which raised the sales tax by 1 percentage point to 8.75%. About $5.16 million of this year’s estimated $11.5 million Measure G revenue will go toward police costs.

The sheriff’s office has not released the cost estimates for 2022-23, but as a rule of thumb La Quinta plans for an increase ranging from 7% to 10%, which is then adjusted once the sheriff’s office issues its official number, McMillen said.

The city of 37,558 contracts for 130 fully supported hours per day – an approximate equivalent of 25 deputy sheriff positions, McMillen said.

Crime statistics

The La Quinta Police Department sends monthly reports about crime to the California Department of Justice, where the reports are processed and submitted to the FBI and published yearly in its Uniform Crime Reporting.

The Desert Sun analyzed the monthly reports from 2010 through June 2021, the most recent report released by the department.

Homicides

La Quinta saw a spike in homicides in 2019, when the city recorded five. But that appears to be an outlier – in every other year since 2010, the city has recorded either no killings or one killing.

The city reported no homicides in 2020, though not counted in that tally was the fatal shooting of an armed man by deputies. On Sept. 24, 2020, a deputy shot and killed Randy Fedorchuk, 65, of La Quinta, at City Hall after he refused to drop a weapon when officers ordered him to.

The shooting was included in the department's homicide report to the state, but not included in the overall tally as officer-involved shootings are reported as justified homicides unless an investigation finds otherwise.

Several other cities in the Coachella Valley, such as Palm Springs, have reported surges in homicides in recent years.

The city has reported no homicides through June of this year.

Aggravated assaults

The FBI defines an aggravated assault as an attack by one person on another to inflict severe injury.

From 2010 through 2020, the city has averaged about 60 aggravated assaults a year, with 35 reported in 2020.

The city's reported assaults have dropped substantially from a decade high of 151 in 2011 to no more than about 50 a year for the last five years.

The department reported 21 from January to July of this year, on pace to continue to be below average.

Robberies

The FBI defines robbery as theft by force, threat or violence.

The city's robbery numbers have also generally trended down in recent years from a decade high of 45 in 2012 to a low of 10 in 2020. Many cities saw declines in robberies during the pandemic.

From January to June 2021, seven robberies were reported, suggesting the year could end well below the decade average of about 27 a year.

Burglaries

The FBI defines burglary as the unlawful entry into a structure to commit a felony or theft.

The city's burglary reports have fallen significantly over the past decade. From a decade high of 541 reported in 2012 to a low of 119 in 2020.

Between 2010 and 2014, the city averaged 436 burglaries a year. That number was more than halved between 2015 and 2019, when about 160 were reported each year.

Buompensiero said that people can take steps to avoid becoming a victim of such crimes, including making sure their cars are locked and valuables are not kept in view.

Motor vehicle thefts

The city's reported motor vehicle thefts have generally dropped from a decade high of 95 in 2012 to 65 in 2019.

La Quinta reported 73 motor vehicle thefts last year, just above the decade average of about 71 a year.

Most of the vehicle thefts are occurring along Highway 111 in the business district area, and north of Miles Avenue, said Buompensiero.

"We have extra patrols in the business district area along Highway 111," Buompensiero said. "We (also) have a holiday theft suppression program starting next week."

Through August 2021, the city has seen 52 auto thefts, according to a joint statement from the city and sheriff’s department regarding the crime data, putting the city on pace to end the year just slightly ahead of last year's tally.

La Quinta vs. California crime rates

The city reported lower crime rates per 1,000 residents in 2019 than the state in all categories except burglaries. The Desert Sun chose to use 2019 as a standard due to the pandemic's influence on crime last year.

La Quinta had 37,467 residents in 2010 and 37,558 in 2020, according to the U.S. Census. The Desert Sun used the 2020 population number to calculate this rate because it is more accurate than the 2019 Census number which was an estimate.

The city's rates are below the state's in aggravated assault — 1.1 versus 2.7 per 1,000 residents — and motor vehicle theft — 1.7 versus 3.6. And the city is well below the state's rate of robberies, reporting 0.5 per 1,000 residents compared to the state's 1.3.

However, La Quinta's rate of 4.2 burglaries per 1,000 residents is higher than the state's rate of 3.8.

La Quinta rates over 10 years

La Quinta saw reductions in crime rates between 2010 and 2019 in most categories. Burglaries have dropped substantially, from 11.9 per 1,000 residents to 4.2.

Aggravated assaults were reduced from 2.7 per 1,000 residents to 1.1. Robberies are down from 0.7 to 0.5. And motor vehicle thefts have remained the same at 1.7 per 1,000 residents.

What's next...

Keeping crime down is a shared responsibility of the city, sheriff’s department and citizens, McMillen and Buompensiero said.

Buompensiero will be leaving his position by mid-December. Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco appointed Michael Bianco, his brother, to lead the Thermal Station, which manages the La Quinta Police Department. The La Quinta City Council will introduce Lt. Andres "Andy" Martinez to replace Buompensiero at its meeting Tuesday.

The City Council receives quarterly reports with updated information about any crime trends. Those reports are included in the agenda packets and provide an example of the data that guides the department's work, Buompensiero said.

"We can keep this trend continuing by educating the public, keeping up with crime trends, working with the city to include the use of the citywide camera system and the use of the (special enforcement team)/extra patrols," Buompensiero said.

Christopher Damien covers public safety and the criminal justice system. He can be reached at christopher.damien@desertsun.com or follow him at @chris_a_damien.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: La Quinta reports decline in crime over decade, with uptick in motor vehicle theft.