Fairfield police report rise in violent crimes, arson
The data was released in the "State of the City" report published on Thursday.
(Graphic by Solano NewsNet)
Fairfield police officers were dispatched to more crimes of violence in 2021 compared to the previous year, according to new data released by city officials on Thursday.
The data was published in the annual “State of the City” report that revealed an increase in three categories of violent crimes: Murder, rape and robbery.
The only category to see a year-over-year decline — aggravated assault — was also the biggest type of violent crime reported in Fairfield, with the city logging 304 cases of aggravated assault in 2021 compared to 315 in 2020.
Robberies were on the rise in Fairfield, with police investigating 188 reported cases in 2021 compared to 172 the prior year. Eight murders occurred in Fairfield last year, compared to six in 2020.
It was not clear from the information offered by Fairfield officials if the data reflected the number of crimes reported to the agency or ones that resulted in a prosecution or conviction.
The increase in violent crime follows a concerning trend happening throughout California, where an uptick in violent criminal offenses has been recorded since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.
Public policy experts say the data can be interpreted in several ways: Either that more law enforcement or tougher prison sentences are needed, or that, framed in a certain context, criminal justice reform measures are working.
The data released by Fairfield showed there may be some truth to the latter: In 2021, all categories of property crimes were down, except one. Commercial burglary, residential burglary, car burglary and stolen vehicle cases all decreased last year compared to 2020.
The only property crime that saw an increase was arson: Seventy-nine cases were reported in 2021, an increase from 39 the year before.
The steep decline in property crime helped Fairfield log a 9 percent drop in overall crime, according to a video posted by the City of Fairfield.
The City of Fairfield’s “State of the City” report can be viewed online by clicking or tapping here.