Life in the Valley Economy 2010 - Working Partnerships USA

Building A community
Indicator 3
Crime and Public Safety
KEY STATISTICS
• After six consecutive years of growth and a nearly 50% total increase from 2000 to
2006, property crime in Santa Clara County decreased 17% from 2006 to 2008,
dropping to 1,271 crimes per 100,000 residents.
• In 2008, domestic violence-related calls for assistance in Santa Clara County
declined for the sixth straight year, marking an overall decrease of 29% since
2002.
• Child abuse rates in Santa Clara County fell 37% in 2008, down to 4.8
substantiated cases per 1,000 children, the sharpest drop of any large county in
California.
WHY IT MATTERS
Physical and psychological safety of residents
has a significant impact on the quality and stability
of life within a community. Higher crime rates can
erode neighborhood trust and strain public resources
through the expense of the criminal justice system.
Domestic violence, child abuse and juvenile arrests can
be particularly devastating to a community as these
measures reveal family as well as social breakdown
and predict future instability.
Several key measures of public safety in Santa Clara
County have shown marked improvement in recent
years, indicating an increase in overall community
safety. In 2008, child abuse rates fell to by far the lowest
level this decade, while property crime, domestic
violence, and severe traffic collisions all experienced
consecutive years of decline. Violent crime in Santa
Clara County dropped under 300 crimes per 100,000
residents for just the second time in 19 years. The
juvenile felony arrest rate also inched downward in
2008, though it remains significantly elevated above
rates earlier in the decade.
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