By K.P. Sander

Walnut-Diamond Bar – The citizens of Walnut and Diamond Bar have cause to be very proud of their local law enforcement. The dedication and commitment they have shown for the people they have sworn to protect is very apparent in the latest crime statistics.

According to Captain Jeff Scroggin of the Walnut-Diamond Bar Sheriff’s Station, the area has shown significant decreases in crime rates. “The Part I crime rate for the entire area served by Walnut-Diamond Bar Station is down 25.79% as of April 16, 2014. The City of Walnut’s crime rate is down 46.5%. The City of Diamond Bar’s crime rate is down 27.9%, and the crime rate for the entire unincorporated areas served by our station is down 12.9%. Part I crime rates are based on the FBI’s Uniform Crime Index. The categories used for the FBI Uniform Crime Index are homicides, rapes, robberies, aggravated assaults, burglaries, larceny theft, grand theft auto and arson. The FBI uses these statistics to determine crime rates and these rates help us compare cities relative crime rates, and can help us determine which areas are the safest. It is always hard to place an exact cause on why crime rates go up and down because they always fluctuate based on the crime trends we face,” said Scroggin.

Scroggin also said that they have had some good fortune in seeing the categories of burglary and larceny theft rates lower in both of the contract cities and unincorporated areas. They have also made a number of excellent arrests related to burglary. The burglary and theft categories are typically the crimes that happen the most in the area and have the greatest impact on local crime rates.

“We usually have a very low incidence of any crimes classified as violent, such as homicide, rape, robbery and assault. Along with our contract cities, our station has been working hard to reenergize and increase our Neighborhood Watch program. This effort has been met with some renewed enthusiasm by all the communities we serve. Diamond Bar has supported a “Report for Reward” program to encourage residents to call whenever they believe criminal activity is occurring, and the City of Walnut also recently started a similar reward program. Diamond Bar has also hired an additional deputy to work on special problems within their community and the entire station is really focused on reducing the number of daytime residential burglary through increased patrols and greater community awareness of the crime trends facing our community,” Scroggin continued.

Captain Scroggin says that community involvement is the key in helping to keep crime rates low. He encourages everyone to become part of a Neighborhood Watch program, or even become a volunteer at the Sheriff’s Station to help with additional community patrols. The more the community is involved, the better they can be at keeping this area one of the safest in all of Southern California.

Find out more about getting involved in keeping your community safe by visiting the Walnut-Diamond Bar Sheriff’s Station website at http://www.Walnut.DiamondBar.lasd.org. If you have information regarding a crime, you can also call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477); texting TIPLA plus your tip to 274637 (CRIMES); or visiting http://www.LACrimeStoppers.org.