Crime in California

Crime in California refers to crime occurring within the U.S. state of California. The principal source of law for California criminal procedure is the California Penal Code.

California has a lower murder rate than the US average.^[1]

State statistics

In 2019, there were 1,096,668 crimes reported in California including 1,679 murders, 14,720 rapes and 915,197 property crimes.^[2]: 9 In 2019, there were 1,012,441 arrests of adults and 43,181 arrests of juveniles in California.^[2]: 20

In 2014, 1,697 people were victims of homicides. 30% of homicides were gang-related, 28% were due to an unspecified argument, 9% were domestic, and 7% were robbery related. The rest were unknown.^[3] In 2017 the violent crime rate in California rose 1.5% and was 14th highest of the 50 states.^[4]

Number of crimes per 100,000 persons in 2004 (crime rates)[5]
Violent crime rates				Property crime rates						Total	Rank
Population	Violent crime	Homicide	Rape	Robbery	Serious assault	Property crime	Burglary	Larceny	Motor vehicle theft
35,893,799	551.8	6.7	26.8	172.1	346.3	3,419.0	685.1	2,030.1	703.8	11,970.8	26

Year	Population	Index	Violent	Property	Murder	Rape[note 1]	Robbery	Aggravated assault	Burglary	Larceny theft	Vehicle theft
1960	15,717,204	546,069	37,558	508,511	616	2,859	18,796	18,796	143,102	311,956	53,453
1970	19,953,134	1,264,854	94,741	1,170,113	1,376	7,005	45,083	45,083	349,788	682,811	137,514
1980	23,532,680	1,264,854	210,290	1,633,042	3,411	13,693	102,766	102,766	545,138	913,070	174,834
1990	29,760,021	1,965,237	311,051	1,654,186	3,553	12,688	182,602	182,602	400,392	951,580	302,214
2000	33,871,648	1,266,714	210,531	1,056,183	2,079	9,785	60,249	138,418	222,293	651,855	182,035
2010	37,338,198	1,146,072	164,133	981,939	1,809	8,331	58,116	95,877	228,857	600,558	152,524
2016	39,250,017	1,176,866	174,796	1,002,070	1,930	10,149	54,789	104,375	188,304	637,010	176,756
2017	39,613,045	1,173,972	178,553	986,769	1,829	14,724	56,609	105,391	176,638	641,804	168,327
2018	39,825,181	1,126,387	176,866	940,998	1,739	15,500	54,312	105,315	164,540	621,288	155,170
2019	39,959,095	1,096,668	173,205	915,197	1,679	14,720	52,050	104,756	151,596	622,869	140,732

By location

Los Angeles

Main article: Crime in Los Angeles

In 2010, Los Angeles reported 293 homicides.^[6] The 2010 number corresponds to a rate of 7.6 per 100,000 population. Murders in Los Angeles have decreased since the peak year of 1993, when the homicide rate was 21.1 (per 100,000 population).^[7]

Legal procedure

Further information: Criminal procedure in California

As one of the fifty states of the United States, California follows common law criminal procedure. The principal source of law for California criminal procedure is the California Penal Code, Part 2, "Of Criminal Procedure."

Every year in California, approximately 150 thousand violent crimes and 1 million property crimes are committed.^[8] With a population of about 40 million people, approximately 1.2 million arrests are made every year in California.^[8] The California superior courts hear about 270,000 felony cases, 900,000 misdemeanor cases, and 5 million infraction cases every year.^[9] There are currently 130,000 people in state prisons^[10] and 70,000 people in county jails.^[11] Of these, there are 746 people who have been sentenced to death.^[12]

Policing

Further information: List of law enforcement agencies in California

In 2018, California had 531 state and local law enforcement agencies. Those agencies employed a total of 130,451 staff. Of the total staff, 79,038 were sworn officers (defined as those with general arrest powers).^[13]

Police ratio

In 2018, California had 200 police officers per 100,000 residents.^[13]

Capital punishment laws

Further information: Capital punishment in California

The death penalty (also known as capital punishment) is legal in California,^[14] although Governor Gavin Newsom issued a moratorium on the use on March 13, 2019.^[15] The last execution was issued for Clarence Ray Allen on January 17, 2006, through lethal injection.

Organized crime

Organized crime in California involves the criminal activities of organized crime groups, street gangs, criminal extremists, and terrorists in California.^[16] Traditional organized crime are in the form of Cosa Nostra (LCN), Sicilian Mafia, and Camorra. Eurasian criminal networks specialize in white-collar crime, fraud, prostitution and human trafficking. Crime cells from Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe impact public safety and the state's economy.

Gangs

Gangs in California are classified into three categories: criminal street gangs, prison gangs, and outlaw motorcycle gangs. Gang operations usually include "assault, auto theft, drive-by shooting, illegal drug and narcotic manufacturing, drug and narcotic trafficking, forgery, fraud, home invasion robbery, identity theft, murder, weapons trafficking, witness intimidation, and violence against law enforcement."

Terrorism

Domestic criminal extremists include various racial supremacy groups. International terrorists include Al-Qaeda, Mujahedin-e-Khalq (MEK), and Jamaat ul-Fuqra (JUF).

Notable incidents

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

• 1846–73: California genocide—non-Natives killed between 9,492 and 16,094 California Natives
• 1856–57: The Flores Daniel Gang.
  • Juan Flores—hanged for murder
  • Pancho Daniel—lynched by a citizen mob
• 1899: J. Ellis Rodley—convicted of perjury; sentenced to 12 years in prison
• 1905–08: San Francisco graft trials
  • Abe Ruef—the only person convicted as part of the graft trials; pleaded guilty to bribery and sentenced to 14 years in prison
• 1946: Battle of Alcatraz
• 1947: Black Dahlia murder
• 1965:
  • 1965 Highway 101 sniper attack
  • Watts riots
• 1968–69: Zodiac Killer murders five known victims
• 1968: Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy
• 1969: Tate–LaBianca murders
• 1970: Newhall incident
• 1971–83: Randy Kraft sentenced to death for 16 counts of murder; suspected of killing as many as 61 people
• 1972: United California Bank burglary
• 1974: 1974 Los Angeles International Airport bombing
• 1975: Assassination attempts of Gerald Ford in Sacramento and in San Francisco
• 1976:
  • California State University, Fullerton, massacre
  • Cleveland Elementary School shooting (San Diego)
  • Gypsy Hill killings
  • Andrew J. Hinshaw—indicted on charges of bribery, embezzlement and misappropriation of public funds while serving as Orange County assessor. Convicted of bribery and sentenced to two concurrent 1‐to‐14 years terms in prison
• 1977: Kidnapping of Colleen Stan
• 1977–78: Hillside Strangler
• 1978: Moscone–Milk assassinations
• 1981: Wonderland murders
• 1984:
  • Murder of Kirsten Costas
  • San Ysidro McDonald's massacre
• 1986 San Francisco fireworks disaster
• 1986–88: Bribery and Special Interest (BRISPEC) sting operation—led to the conviction and imprisonment of 12 public officials in the California State Legislature. Elected officials convicted were:
  • Paul Carpenter: sentenced to seven years for conspiracy, mail fraud and obstruction of justice
  • Frank Hill: sentenced to 46 months for extortion, money laundering and conspiracy
  • Joseph B. Montoya: served five years for extortion, money laundering, and racketeering
  • Pat Nolan: sentenced to 33 months for racketeering
  • Alan Robbins: sentenced to five years for racketeering and income tax evasion
• 1987: Hijacking of Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771
• 1988: Dan Montecalvo case
• 1989: Cleveland Elementary School shooting (Stockton)
• 1991: Killing of Latasha Harlins
• 1992:
  • 1992 Los Angeles riots
  • Lindhurst High School shooting
• 1993: 101 California Street shooting
• 1994: O. J. Simpson murder case
• 1995: Walter R. Tucker III—convicted on seven counts of extortion and two counts of tax evasion; sentenced to 27 months in prison
• 1996:
  • Han twins murder conspiracy
  • 1996 San Diego State University shooting
  • Lyle and Erik Menendez—sentenced to life in prison without parole for murdering their parents
• 1997: North Hollywood shootout
• 1997–98: Rampart scandal
• 1999: Los Angeles Jewish Community Center shooting
• 2001:
  • 2001 Isla Vista killings
  • 2001 Nevada County shootings
  • Santana High School shooting
  • Stevenson Ranch shootout
• 2002:
  • 2002 Los Angeles International Airport shooting
  • Murder of Laci Peterson
• 2003: Shooting of Deandre Brunston
• 2004: Albert T. Robles—convicted of 30 counts of bribery, money laundering, and depriving the electorate; sentenced to 10 years and ordered to pay $639,000 restitution
• 2005: Randall Harold Cunningham—pleaded guilty to tax evasion, conspiracy to commit bribery, mail fraud and wire fraud; sentenced to 100 months. Conditionally pardoned in 2021
• 2006:
  • Goleta postal facility shootings
  • Paul Richards—sentenced to 16 years in federal prison on bribery and kickback charges
• 2008: Ed Jew—found guilty of extortion, bribery, and perjury
• 2009:
  • 2009 shootings of Oakland police officers
  • Shooting of Oscar Grant
• 2010: Murder of Lydia Schatz
• 2011
  • 2011 Seal Beach shooting
  • Southern California Edison shooting
• 2011–12 Los Angeles arson attacks
• 2012 Anaheim, California police shooting and protests
• 2013:
  • 2013 Los Angeles International Airport shooting
  • 2013 shooting of Santa Cruz police officers
  • Kidnapping of Hannah Anderson
  • Christopher Dorner shootings and manhunt
  • Bob Filner—pleaded guilty to charges of false imprisonment and battery.
• 2013–14: Interstate 80 rapist
• 2014:
  • Leland Yee—corruption and arms trafficking
  • 2014 Isla Vista killings
• 2015:
  • 2015 San Bernardino attack
  • Shooting of Kate Steinle
  • Matthew Muller sentenced to 31 and 40 years in prison after pleading guilty and no contest to charges of kidnapping, burglary, forcible rape, battery, assault, and false imprisonment.
• 2016: Orange County Men's Central Jail escape
• 2017:
  • 2017 North Park Elementary School shooting
  • Rancho Tehama shootings
• 2017-19: Ed Buck—sentenced to 30 years in prison on 9 federal counts including providing fatal doses of methamphetamine to two men
• 2019:
  • Gilroy Garlic Festival shooting
  • Poway synagogue shooting
  • 2019 Saugus High School shooting
• 2020–24: San Francisco Department of Public Works corruption scandal
• 2020:
  • Anthony Levandowski—pleaded guilty to one count of trade secret theft. Pardoned in 2020.
  • José Huizar—pleaded guilty to charges of racketeering and tax evasion; sentenced to 13 years in prison and ordered to pay $443,905 in restitution to the City of Los Angeles and $38,792 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service
• 2021:
  • 2021 Orange, California office shooting
  • 2021 San Jose shooting
  • Mitchell Englander—sentenced to 14 months in prison, three years of supervised release and a $15,000 fine after pleading guilty to falsifying material facts during interviews with federal investigators who were conducting a corruption probe at Los Angeles City Council
• 2022:
  • 2022 Brink's theft—$8.7–100 million worth of jewelry stolen from the back of a Brink's truck parked at a truck stop off I-5 near Lebec.
  • Elizabeth Holmes—found guilty of three counts of wire fraud, and one of conspiracy to commit wire fraud
  • Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani—found guilty of nine counts of wire fraud and two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud
  • Michael Avenatti—sentenced to 14 years in prison and ordered to pay nearly $11 million in restitution for embezzlement and fraud
  • Murder of Brianna Kupfer
• 2023:
  • 2023 Monterey Park shooting
  • 2023 Half Moon Bay shootings
  • Harry Sidhu—pleaded guilty to one count of obstruction of justice, one count of wire fraud, and two counts of making false statements to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Aviation Administration
  • Michelle and Kenneth Mack—sentenced to five years in prison for organized retail theft and conspiracy to commit organized retail theft
• 2024:
  • Irma Olguin Jr. and Jake Soberal, co-founders and co-CEOs of Bitwise Industries plead guilty to wire fraud
  • Jorge Armando Contreras—sentenced to 70 months in federal prison for embezzlement
  • Leonard Glenn Francis ("Fat Leonard")—sentenced to 15 years in prison for bribery, fraud, and failure to appear in court
  • Ex-Congressman TJ Cox pleaded guilty to two fraud counts and agreed to pay up to $3.5 million in restitution

See also

• California locations by crime rate
• San Francisco crime family
• San Jose crime family
• Los Angeles crime family

General:

• Crime in the United States
• Criminal Procedure in California

Footnotes

1. In 2014, the crime of "forcible rape" was changed to "rape." The definition was expanded to include both male and female victims and reflects the various forms of sexual penetration understood to be rape.

References

1. Map Shows Which States Have the Highest Murder Rates, Aug 21, 2024, Newsweek
2. "Crime in California" (PDF). State of California Department of Justice - OpenJustice. 2020-07-01. Archived (pdf) from the original on 2020-08-03. Retrieved 2020-08-31.
3. Bulwa, Demian (July 4, 2015). "By the numbers: Who got killed, and why, in California last year". SFGATE.
4. "Crime Trends in California". Public Policy Institute of California. Retrieved 2019-11-13.
5. "US Census Bureau, median household income by state 2004". Archived from the original on 2006-06-28. Retrieved 2006-07-01.
6. 2010 California offenses known to law enforcement FBI. Retrieved August 10, 2012
7. "Crime Rates in Los Angeles County 1985-2019". Los Angeles Almanac. Archived from the original on May 7, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
8. "2015 California Attorney General Report" (PDF).
9. "2015 California Judicial Council Court Statistics Report" (PDF).
10. "California Department of Corrections Office of Research, Population Reports". Archived from the original on 2018-05-15. Retrieved 2018-05-20.
11. Lofstrom, Magnus; Martin, Brandon (February 2021). "California's County Jails". Public Policy Institute of California.
12. These are the 746 inmates awaiting execution on California's death row, Los Angeles Times, Paige St. John & Maloy Moore, August 24, 2017. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
13. "Census of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies, 2018 – Statistical Tables" (PDF). United States Department of Justice. October 2022. p. 5. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 18, 2023.
14. "Facts about capital punishment - the death penalty". religioustolerance.org. Archived from the original on July 13, 2017. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
15. Arango, Tim (2019-03-12). "California Death Penalty Suspended; 737 Inmates Get Stay of Execution". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-12-20.
16. "Organized Crime in California, 2005 Report to the California Legislature" (PDF). California Department of Justice. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 28, 2023.

Further reading

• To Live in Oceanside (San Diego Reader)