The arrest rate in the San Diego region fell 8% for minors and 5% for adults in 2021, hitting a seven-year low according to a new report from SANDAG, Arrests 2021: Law Enforcement Response to Crime in the San Diego Region.
The report found that an average of 155 adults and six minors were arrested per day in 2021, up from 272 and 12, respectively, in 2017. However, the data showed an increase in violence (3% and 4%) and weapons ( 17). % and 98%) arrests of adults and minors.
“This data is an important measure for the community to understand law enforcement’s response to crime,” said Dr. Cynthia Burke, SANDAG’s senior director of data science. “Over the years compared in this report, we have seen a continued decline in serious crimes committed overall, as well as fewer arrests of minors. However, gun crime has seen an uptick, which is likely related to the growing problem of untraceable firearms, or ghost guns, in our communities.”
Additionally, while arrest rates declined greatly for all ethnic groups, racial differences remained. Black and Hispanic people were overrepresented in all arrest categories in 2021. White people and those representing other races/ethnicities were underrepresented.
Other findings include:
- Adult and juvenile arrests for property and drug offenses decreased in 2021 compared to 2020.
- About two in five arrests were considered felonies in 2021.
- Adult arrests for driving under the influence increased at both the felony and misdemeanor level in 2021 (up 34% and 12%, respectively, from 2020).
For more data collected, read the SANDAG Criminal Justice Newsletter: Arrests 2021: Law Enforcement Response to Crime in the San Diego Region.
Local data for this report was extracted and analyzed by SANDAG’s Automated Regional Justice Information System (ARJIS).
ARJIS is a complex criminal justice business network used by more than 60 federal, state and local agencies in San Diego and Imperial counties.
