Merced crime down through first three quarters, police say
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- Merced crime totals fall through third quarter compared to the same time last year.
- Police credit staffing, technology, and community engagement for large declines.
- Assaults and murders rose, driven by domestic violence.
Crime continues to be down in Merced through the first three quarters of the year, Merced Police Chief Steven Stanfield recently told City Council.
Violent crime, property crime and traffic accidents for the third quarter of the year are all lower compared to the same time last year, according to MPD data shared with the Sun-Star.
Murder and assaults were the only areas that showed an increase over last year, according to police data. Stanfield said that domestic violence rates are driving the increase seen in assaults. MPD is working with victim advocates to address the underlying cause of the increase seen in assaults, which Stanfield calls part of the “long game.”
“There are studies that talk about children being raised in homes where domestic violence is present, there’s a likelihood that they can become abusers in the future. We need to break this cycle,” Stanfield said.
While there have been significant drops in crime, Stanfield said he believes the reductions are “kind of an anomaly” and the downward trend will eventually normalize. However, he notes the first three quarters usually indicate how the final quarter of the year will go.
“I’d be shocked if we continue to see these year after year after year,” he said. “.. but I would be shocked if (Merced) has seen these kinds of reductions in one year. I mean, some of these reductions are huge.”
There has been a roughly 26% reduction in juvenile arrests and 26% reduction in traffic accidents compared to last year, according to the Merced Police Department.
Property crime also dropped with vehicle burglaries, commercial burglaries, robberies and auto thefts all down by at least 17%. Vehicle and commercial burglaries, and auto thefts, all saw decreases over 30% compared to the same time last year.
Violent crimes are mostly down: sexual assaults and shootings decreased by 7.7% and 28.6% respectively.
Stanfield said he attributes the significant decline in crime to increased police staffing and visibility, the department’s embrace of technology, and community support for law enforcement. The Merced Police Department currently has 94 staffed police officers and only four vacancies.
“I’m extremely, extremely proud of all the staff that worked so hard to lower all these crime statistics for our community,” Stanfield said.