Violent crime drops in Scotts Valley

Violent crime was down in 2009 in Scotts Valley from 2008, according to the Federal Investigation Bureau’s annual statistics.
But Scotts Valley police Chief John Weiss said that while the FBI’s stats are correct, the numbers were small to begin with.
“Rape, for example, is down 50 percent,” Weiss said. “In 2008, we had two reported rapes, and in 2009, we had one.”
There were no reported homicides in Scotts Valley during 2008 or 2009, Weiss said.
Scotts Valley crime statistics showed that 88 assaults were reported, up from 52 in 2008.
Only six were considered aggravated assaults, though, according to FBI statistics.
“Aggravated assaults are more serious and often involve injury,” Weiss explained.
Auto thefts were up to eight in 2009 from six the year before. Burglary was up by 11 percent at 59 reported incidents, versus 53 in 2008.
“There was a decline in robbery and arson, but again, we’re talking really small numbers,” Weiss said.
No cases of arson were on the books in 2009, after three were reported in 2008, according to statistics. Robberies declined by 75 percent, with only one reported in 2009.
Every year, the FBI collects monthly counts of crimes from thousands of police and sheriff’s departments. Nationally, violent crime in 2009 declined for the third year in a row, with an estimated 5.3 percent drop from 2008 figures. Property crime also fell for the seventh year in a row, according to the FBI.
The FBI’s records began in 2005.