August Crime Rate Jumps 23% Over Last Year

The overall crime rate in Pasadena during August  jumped 23 percent over August of last year, the Pasadena Police Department said in a monthly crime statistical report released last week.

Police figures show an increase in the number of crimes in August this year with 401 reported cases, over the 325 reported in August of 2012.

The report also showed all forms of burglaries and thefts have increased significantly in August this year over the same month in 2012, while assaults, robberies and rapes have dropped.

Vehicle burglaries have increased 150 percent in August 2013 over August of 2012, while there is also a 40-percent increase in reported cases of theft, a 26-percent increase in residential burglary, an 8-percent increase in commercial burglary and a 67-percent increase in other burglaries.

On the other hand, the number of rape cases have dropped significantly with 74 percent decrease over August of last year, while assaults involving domestic violence also showed a 23-percent decrease.

Assaults with deadly weapon and other forms of assault have recorded no change with 14 and 27 cases, respectively, in both August 2012 and 2013.

Meanwhile, the year-to-date through August report showed a 13 percent increase this year so far from January to August 2012.

The year-to-date report also showed that homicide cases have risen again this year to equal 2011’s total of three. So far, the increase is 200 percent in 2013 over the murder rate in the same period of 2012.

Rape, robbery and domestic violence assaults in January to August this year have decreased over the same period last year with 5 percent, 16 percent, and 10 percent respectively, while the assault with deadly weapon and other assaults, as well as all forms and burglaries of thefts have recorded an increase over the same period last year.