MEDIA RELEASE
 
 

January 7, 1999 Contact: Brian Davies  
Office of the Mayor 
 
 
YEAR END CRIME DATA RELEASED FOR 1998
CRIME RATES CONTINUE TO DROP
 
DOWNWARD TRENDS BEGUN IN 1994 CONTINUE
Mayor Patterson released today the year end crime data for 1998. "The crime numbers for 1998 are in and they represent good news for the people of Fresno. For the fourth straight year, violent crimes and property crimes continued to substantially decline," reported the Mayor. Most significant is a 63% decline in homicides and a 59% decline in auto theft since 1994. 
  

"Several factors have led to Fresno's success in reducing crime: The strength of the Fresno Police Department is at an all time record high with 679 sworn officers serving the city, the officers are backed up by Skywatch helicopter air support, new technology, tough laws like Three Strikes and 10-20-Life, and partnerships with other law enforcement agencies and community groups," stated the mayor. 
  

Attached are graphs depicting the cumulative declines based on data from Police Department statistics including the latest crime data from January through December 23, 1998. 
 
Overall Decreases Since 1994
  • Wilful homicide is down 63%;
  • Auto theft is down 59%;
  • Property crimes are down 50%;
  • Violent crime is down 36%;
  • Total crimes down 44%;
Decreases in Crime 1/1/98-12/23/98
-46.0%
-21.6%
-22.6%
- 4.3%
 -17.9%