The Weekly Newspaper of El Segundo
Herald Publications - El Segundo, Hawthorne, Lawndale & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 108, No. 7 - February 14, 2019
Inside
This Issue
Certified & Licensed
Professionals.....................14
Classifieds............................4
Community Valentines.....16
Crossword/Sudoku.............4
Food.......................................2
Legals............................ 12,14
Letters...................................3
Obituaries.............................2
Real Estate.....................7-11
Sports.............................. 5,13
Weekend
Forecast
A Visit from Roxy Brings Joy
The El Segundo Middle School Builders Club, sponsored by El Segundo Kiwanis, has adopted (symbolically) Roxy, an ESPD K9. Officer Leavitt brought Roxy to the school on Tuesday, Feb. 4. All the kids
lined up to pet her and greet Officer Leavitt. From left to right: Julie, Alex, Emily, Kiera, Officer Leavitt, Roxy and Matthew Gallon. Photo Provided by Matthew Gallon.
Police Chief Addresses Recent
Crime Increases in Community
By Brian Simon
Last week, El Segundo Police Chief Bill
Whalen addressed the noticeable uptick in local
crime over the last few months that may have
been apparent to Herald readers who sift through
the weekly crime logs. The El Segundo Police
Department also released data showing crime
stats comparing 2018 to 2017. Whalen’s objectives
were to provide possible reasons for the
increases and to reassure members of the community.
As one example that particularly stood
out and prompted some concern, five rape reports
showed up on the December 2018 crime
logs alone. The year’s overall 11 such offenses (a
175 percent jump compared to 2017) exceeded
the combined rape totals from the previous three
years. El Segundo also saw marked increases
in aggravated assaults (34 in 2018 versus 14 in
2017) as well as smaller bumps in burglary (10
percent) and larceny (6 percent). In all, total
Part 1 crimes rose by 8 percent (727 to 784)
from 2017 to 2018. Of those, violent crimes
were up 67 percent (27 more) and property
crimes 4 percent (30 more). So what gives?
“El Segundo is unequivocally a safe community,”
Whalen emphasized. “But it’s not
without crime… and any increase [from a
relatively small starting amount] can reflect
as a large percentage.” There is also context,
the chief noted. In nine of the 11 rape cases,
the victims knew each other and 60 percent of
the incidents were “date rapes” at local hotels.
Officers made arrests in three of the cases and
know who the offenders are in seven others.
“There is no connection between any of these
crimes,” Whalen said, indicating that the spate
of rapes was an anomaly. Also in 2018, El
Segundo reported zero homicides (there was
one in 2017).
Whalen reported that 36 percent of the
aggravated assaults occurred at hotels with nonresidents
involved. Only 34 percent involved
people who lived in town. Most of the cases
were domestic relationships.
Meanwhile, 59 percent of robberies were
either shoplift or domestic disturbances that
escalated. Whalen suggested that shoplifting
in general is on the rise because the threshold
that turns the offense into a felony versus a
misdemeanor rose dramatically from $400 or
less to $950 or less. As a result, more gangs
have turned to this type of crime than in the
past, he said. Shoplifting (listed under the
larceny category) increased 90 percent with 37
additional crimes last year. Bicycle thefts were
up 100 percent (nine additional crimes), but
thefts from vehicles decreased by 16 percent
(32 fewer).
As for burglaries, almost 90 percent of the
increase came on the commercial side. Of those,
a whopping 44 percent (51 total) occurred at
the Public Storage located at 1910 Hughes
Way. Another 6 percent took place at Extra
Space Storage at 1017 E. El Segundo Blvd.
Just those two facilities alone accounted for 29
percent of all the burglaries in town last year.
In contrast, residential burglaries increased only
very slightly (two more incidents). Whalen
emphasized that virtually all of those were
thefts from carports, open garages or residences
under construction. Only three involved actual
break-ins to homes and all of those happened
when the residents were not on the premises.
“Most property crimes can be prevented,”
Whalen said, calling on citizens to lock their
vehicles, not place valuables in plain sight and
to not leave garages open and unattended. The
chief also pointed out that two of three arson
cases were just reclassified, leaving just one
incident in 2018 – when a man attempted, but
failed, to set fire to the former Stick N’ Stein
property on PCH.
El Segundo reported 666 Part 2 crimes in
2018, which was an increase of 11 compared
to the previous year. The biggest jumps were
in DUIs (114 total, which were 41 more than
2017) and vandalism (105 total, or 34 more
than last year—with many cases connected to
graffiti or tagging). Though DUIs have trended
downward in general in recent years due to
the advent of ride-sharing companies, Whalen
noted that El Segundo officers have been on
the lookout more for drivers under the influence
and are “making more DUI stops” than
before. The number of citations issued also
rose in 2018. That includes those for parking,
thanks to the ongoing work of police cadets
patrolling the area. “We have also done a
fantastic job of clearing cases in El Segundo,”
Whalen added, reporting that the city is well
above the national average in this regard for
violent crimes and also comfortably ahead in
property crimes.
As part of crime prevention, the department
conducted 39 community outreach efforts in
2018. It will soon reorganize to bolster community
engagement. Whalen also lauded the
recent deployment of Naloxone, which reverses
the effects of opioid overdoes and likely saved
three lives last year. Another notable project
in the works is the imminent implementation
of the first of three phases for automated
license plate readers (previously on hold due
to logistical difficulties with the City of Los
Angeles) – with a presentation scheduled for
next week’s City Council meeting to expand
footprint to include commercial areas east of
PCH and vehicle-mounted units. Whalen also
hopes to get Council blessing to create a fulltime
Crime Analyst position (it is currently a
part-time contract position) as a way to help
investigators decipher trends and identify
See Recent Crime, page 14
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