SLO saw drops in sexual assaults, property crimes and car crashes in 2020. This is why
Crime in the city of San Luis Obispo was down 5% overall in 2020, a year when community behavior was closely shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a police staff report presented to the San Luis Obispo City Council on Tuesday, city officials noted a 7% decrease in property crime and a 11% decrease in the number of reported sexual assaults, compared with 2019.
“The trend reflects the results of the pandemic and is likely attributed to a lack of dating and celebratory opportunities due to the public health orders and the closure of the restaurant and bar scene for a large portion of the year,” the staff report notes.
In 2020, the San Luis Obispo Police Department also saw an 10% increase in violent crimes, compared the previous year.
The police report noted continued complaints about “adverse homeless behavior in the downtown, city parks and other facilities and in the creeks and open space.”
“Many of these behaviors can be attributed to substance abuse, mental illness, or a combination of both,” they noted.
The number of calls and complaints related to homelessness increased by 4% in 2020, city officials noted. Calls for service related to homeless people accounted for 22% of all calls for service citywide which is consistent with 2019 data.
“The Community Action Team (CAT), consisting of an officer and a social worker, continue to work in collaboration with county resources on calls related to mental health and homelessness,” a city news release noted. “Although the pandemic greatly decreased the number of people in the downtown, the actions of CAT helped with the 16% decrease in downtown homeless calls for service.”
SLO property crimes drop as noise complaints increase
Property crimes dropped from 1,738 cases in 2019 to 1,620 in 2020. Those crimes include stolen vehicles and commercial and residential burglaries.
In its release, the city attributed that decline to “residents being at home which created less opportunity for thefts to occur in the neighborhoods and retail stores closures or reduced hours due to public health orders.”
Violent crime rose from 187 incidents in 2019 to 205 the following year.
One homicide was reported in 2020.
Aggravated assaults were up by 25 in 2020, totaling 139, marking the highest total of any of the violent crime categories. Rape dipped from 39 reported crimes to 37.
Arrests on suspicion of driving under the influence of intoxicants dipped by 50%, but party-related noise complaints increased by 24% after a three-year run of continued decline.
“The (party-related noise) increase is attributed to more people being at home and increased calls for noise and neighborhood parties during the pandemic and the temporary suspension of party registration,” San Luis Obispo officials noted.
Traffic-related issues in the city saw sharp declines in 2020— with a 51% decrease in vehicle collisions, 39% decrease in pedestrian-involved collisions and 48% decrease in collisions involving bicycles. San Luis Obispo attributed those decreases to more people staying at home due to state and countywide public health orders.
Police officers worked more than 70 protests, rallies and marches throughout 2020.
The San Luis Obispo Police Department staffed 91.5 full-time equivalent positions, including civilian personnel and sworn officers, noting that recruitment to fill vacancies has been “extremely challenging.” The agency said it had “several officers accept jobs at other law enforcement agencies.”
“2020 was truly unparalleled as the pandemic impacted our community in every aspect of life and the crime data detailed in this report is reflective of that,” interim San Luis Obispo Police Chief Brian Amoroso said in the release. “We are pleased to report a 5% reduction in overall crime despite the challenges we experienced.”
This story was originally published May 5, 2021 at 12:41 PM.
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