Capitola Sees Surge in Violent Crime in 2012

Capitola police reported 47 violent crimes last year, nearly doubling the 28 violent crimes reported in 2011.

There were no murders in the city in 2012, however, the number of assaults rose from 17 in 2011 to 30 last year.

The number of property crimes in Capitola was down, dropping from 598 in 2011 to 541 last year. Most of the property crime in Capitola is theft. The city's large number of retailers often fall victim to shoplifters.

In 2012, Capitola had a violent crime rate of 4.6 known offenses per 1,000 residents. Santa Cruz and Watsonville both reported higher violent crime rates, at 7.1 and 4.8, respectively. 

Capitola's property crime rate of 53.6 known offenses per 1,000 people in 2012 was the second-highest in the county. Santa Cruz reported the most property crime per capita, at 58.6 known offenses per 1,000 people.

The numbers were released this week by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which reported a nationwide increase of violent crimes and a decrease of property crimes after compiling crime data from 18,000 jurisdictions in 50 states.

The FBI's Uniform Crime Reports also included the number of police officers in the nation’s police departments. Capitola had 2.9 sworn officers for every 1,000 residents in 2012.

Note: Some area cities were not included in the report due to underreported data.