Report: 2021 San Diego County Arrest Rates Hit 7-Year Low

Arrest rates in San Diego County reached a seven-year low in 2021, but there were more arrests for violent crimes and weapons offenses when compared to the previous year, according to a new report.

The findings come from an analysis by the San Diego Association of Governments, or SANDAG, which tracks arrest data on an annual basis.

The report, published Wednesday, found that arrest rates declined every year since 2015, when the rate was 42.2 per 1,000 residents among adults and 18.3 per 1,000 residents among juveniles. The rate in 2021 was 22.7 per 1,000 residents among adults and 5.8 per 1,000 residents among juveniles.

It also found the overall arrest rate in 2021 dropped 5 percent among adults and 8 percent among juveniles when compared to 2020. On average, 155 adults and six juveniles were arrested per day in 2021.

However, arrests for weapons offenses, felony crimes and violent crimes were all up when compared to 2020. Arrests related to weapons offenses saw a double-digit jump, increasing 17 percent among adults and 98 percent among juveniles.

Cynthia Burke, SANDAG's senior director of data science, said the increase is likely related to the proliferation of untraceable firearms, or ghost guns, across the region.

"This data is an important measure for the community to understand law enforcement's response to crime," Burke said in a statement.

Jared Wilson, president of the San Diego Police Officers Association, said Friday that the latest figures are another reflection of the Police Department's staffing woes. In the city of San Diego, arrest rates decreased 8 percent in 2021 over the previous year.

In fiscal year 2022, which started July 2021, San Diego police lost more than 240 officers — "an unprecedented amount in the last decade," Wilson said.

"Victims, residents, and visitors deserve justice. Criminals need to be held accountable for their actions. This data shows all too often they are not," Wilson said.

According to the report, although arrests in San Diego were down, felony arrests, which generally involve more serious crimes, were up 15 percent in 2021 when compared to 2020. Data show major crimes increased 13 percent in 2021.

Across the county there were more arrests for felonies and fewer for misdemeanors in 2021, the analysis found. The latest data comes after both arrest types dropped in 2020, a likely result of COVID-19 stay-at-home orders, researchers said.

Among felony crimes, the countywide arrest rate increased 14 percent — from 7.7 per 1,000 residents in 2020 to 8.8 per 1,000 residents in 2021. Since Proposition 47 passed in 2014, reducing some property and drug offenses to misdemeanors, the arrest rate had hovered around 9 per 1,000 residents, according to the report.

Arrests for violent crimes and weapons offenses — often felony crimes — also increased across the county, according to the report. Violent crime arrests increased 3 percent among adults and 4 percent among juveniles. The trend falls in line with an increase in violent crimes. A SANDAG report last year found that violent crime increased 8 percent across the region in 2021.

The proportion of arrests for violent crimes in 2021 was 21 percent among adults and 29 percent among juveniles. Weapons offenses accounted for 3 percent of arrests among adults and 10 percent among juveniles.

As for misdemeanors, the arrest rate decreased 16 percent when compared to the previous year and also hit a seven-year low — at 11.7 per 1,000 residents in 2021.

Researchers and officials said it was difficult to pinpoint a single reason for the decline in misdemeanor arrests. Burke said the drop could reflect fewer misdemeanor crimes or reports of misdemeanor crimes, or a change in law enforcement strategies, such as fewer arrests or citations for crimes that were a focus in the past, Burke said.

Racial disparities persisted in 2021, the study shows. Black and Latino arrestees were over-represented in all arrest categories, compared to their proportion of the population, while White individuals and those who represented other races were underrepresented. In 2021, Black individuals accounted for 5 percent of the population in the region and 17 percent of all arrests; Hispanics represented 32 percent of residents and 35 percent of all arrestees. White individuals made up 49 percent of the population and 41 percent of all arrests, according to the report.

Several studies of law enforcement traffic and pedestrian stops have identified similar racial disparities. A report released in 2021 found that San Diego police officers stop, search and use force against people of color — especially Black people — at higher rates than their White counterparts.

Although the study does not attribute disparities to officer bias, researchers said certain findings, like the rate of Black pedestrians who are stopped and the amount of force used against Black people, were likely significantly shaped by department practices or officers' behavior.

A study of stops made by sheriff's deputies resulted in similar findings.

Other notable report findings in the SANDAG report include:

Male arrestees accounted for 78 percent of arrests overall, and adults ages 30 to 39 accounted for 30 percent of all arrests;
Adult and juvenile arrests for property and drug crimes decreased; and
Arrests among adults for driving under the influence increased at both the felony and misdemeanor level, up 34 percent and 12 percent, respectively.

Staff writer Lyndsay Winkley contributed to this report.

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