California Crime Report Shows Decline but Missing Data Clouds Picture

The California Department of Justice released its annual crime report showing broad declines in 2024, including a 6 percent drop in violent crime, an 8.4 percent decrease in property crime and a double-digit fall in homicides. Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta said the numbers indicate that the state’s post-pandemic investment in public safety is paying off. The report, however, is incomplete. Staffing shortages, system transitions and other issues prevented several large jurisdictions—including Los Angeles, San Diego and Kern counties—from providing full-year data. Additional gaps came from Imperial, Plumas, San Joaquin and Shasta counties, while agencies such as Downey Police, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department and Redding Police supplied only partial figures. California is midway through adopting the FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting System via its own California Incident-Based Reporting System, a change officials say will ultimately improve accuracy. Critics argue the current omissions undercut the state’s claims of progress and make year-over-year comparisons unreliable until full participation is achieved.