SAN DIEGO — Fewer crimes were reported in San Diego in 2022 compared to 2021, prompting Mayor Todd Gloria and Police Chief Nisleit to announce on Thursday that San Diego remains "one of the safest big cities in America."
At an April 20 news conference, Chief Nisleit joined the Mayor to report a 7.5% drop in crime in 2022 from the previous year.
"This decrease in crime is proof of the San Diego Police Department’s commitment to keeping our community safe in even the most challenging times,” said Gloria. “I’m proud to see the numbers down and will continue to ensure SDPD has the resources they need to make this downward trend the norm for years to come.”
According to the data, the number of murders and rapes was down slightly last year compared to 2021. Police also responded to nearly ten percent fewer property crimes than it had the year prior.
“Despite the challenges facing the San Diego Police Department last year, SDPD officers, investigators, and support staff were dedicated to protecting our City,” Chief Nisleit said. “San Diego remains one of the safest big cities in the nation, and we can never take that for granted."
And while 2022 saw a decrease in some crimes, San Diego Police data on crime rates citywide were still higher than levels seen before the pandemic.
When looking at the crime rate per 1,000 people, crime stayed nearly the same in 2022 compared to 2021 with 4.13 per 1,000 residents last year compared to 4.16 in 2021. The violent crime rates during those years, however, were the highest seen in 10 years when the rate of violent crime was recorded at 4.18 in 2012.
According to crime rate statistics, the murder rate dropped to .03 per 1,000 people from .04 in 2021.
Other violent crimes such as rape also saw slight decreases last year.
According to San Diego police, the city has the lowest violent crime rate at 4.2 when compared to other major cities like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Dallas and San Jose.
Local community advocate and activist, Tasha Williamson, says she doesn't agree with the comparison.
"San Diego has never had the crime rate that Los Angeles New York or Chicago has had, nor have they are in size and per population. So to relate that is really misinforming the public," said Williamson.
According to police data, the overall crime index also saw a slight decrease from 23.75 per 1,000 people in 2021 to 21.20 last year.
Williamson says she’s concerned about the long response times from police and questions whether that contributes to underreporting of crime.
"They're not even arriving to crime in a timely manner. They've also reported that they have two hour delays but they're not reporting that they've had instances where they've had 36 hour delays and 24 hour delays," she adds.
Chief Nisleit says he does not think it's related saying, "I don’t necessarily think that having less officers than we need is necessarily contributing to the lack of reporting. I think it has more with laws that were passed years ago."
In a statement, Police Chief Nisleit said the department "will continue to focus on proactively preventing crimes before they occur and investigating cases to their full extent to bring justice for our communities.”
Gabriel is from Southeast San Diego. While living in San Diego, Gabriel says he's had a gun pulled on him on three separate occasions. "I always have to worry about defending myself. I can't rely on the police or anything like that. Anytime you call someone, they're not going to be there when you need them. Do I feel safer? No. I walk out every day having to worry about whether someone will do something crazy," he said.
Jose, a widower who lives in Shelltown says he prefers to stay to himself for safety. "I feel safe, yes. But I hardly go outside of my house. I'd feel safer having more police working than sitting in their cars. If I call and report, they're not going to believe me. So I rather not say anything," he said.
Mikey also lives in Southeast San Diego and says he was born and raised in the area and has developed a strong sense of community where he lives. When asked about crimes rates being down across San Diego, Mikey said, "If crime is down then you would feel safe. Everywhere is dangerous if you look for that type of stuff."