The Pismo Beach Police Department’s semi-annual report includes some positive data regarding crime trends from January through August of this year.
Data presented to the city council Tuesday night shows a 14.25 percent decline in the crime rate over seven months.
March, the second-highest month for recorded rainfall this year, experienced the biggest drop in crime from the year before.
Police are attributing the decrease in crime to a drop in visitors to the area due to the weather.
“A lot of our crimes are committed by individuals visiting our city, not necessarily living in our city," explained Police Chief Jeff Smith. "So with the increase in rain this fall, we saw a decrease in visitorships.”
Part 1 crimes, which include felonies like homicide and rape, saw a notable 32% decrease. Part 2 crimes, including DUIs, thefts, frauds, and battery, registered a 16% decline.
Chief Smith says those declines can also be attributed to "proactive policing."
“It causes a decrease because with proactive policing where they're out and maybe hopefully preventing a crime,” he said.
Some residents of the county and frequent visitors to Pismo Beach, like Mike Humphrey, were unaware of any existing crime issues in the area.
“Well, really, I actually never thought it was an issue,” Humphrey said.
Business owners, such as Rosendo Perez of Papi's Grill, note a decline in break-ins.
“They broke into my store a few times. Maybe last time was about a year ago, and since then, I haven’t seen anything going on,” Perez said.
Chief Smith says the police department's recent investments in technology, specifically the Computer Aided Dispatch and Records Management System, are also contributing factors to the reduction in crime.
“We've been able to get less time spent here and more time out in the field,” he said.
To ensure a consistent and visible police presence in the area, Chief Smith says the department is currently working on revitalizing its force to prioritize recruitment in an effort to achieve full staffing.
