Crime rates trend downward in Burbank
Violent crime rates are down in Burbank for the second year in a row, plunging 12% last year due to a drop in aggravated assaults, according to year-end statistics released by the Burbank Police Department.
Violent crime, which includes murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault, dropped from 171 incidents reported in 2013 to 150 last year, according to the statistics. Among those categories, the number of aggravated assaults saw the largest dip, from 107 reports in 2013 to 80 reports last year.
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FOR THE RECORD: An earlier version of the graphic showed 14 instances of rape in 2013, compared to 13 in 2014. There were 13 instances in 2013, and 14 in 2014.
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Meanwhile, the number of property crimes — including burglary, theft and auto theft — stayed almost exactly the same, with 2,426 incidents reported last year, compared to 2,430 the year before.
Even so, there was a small uptick in burglaries, with 296 incidents reported last year compared to 285 the year before. Meanwhile, auto thefts dipped to 182 reports last year from 218 in 2013.
One alleged murder was reported in January of last year, compared to none the year before.
A 40-year-old Burbank man, Moises Diaz, was arrested after his 77-year-old mother, identified as Maria Huezo Diaz, was found dead, wrapped in blankets, next to a dumpster near the apartment complex where the two of them lived together.
According to police, Huezo Diaz died of “asphyxia by neck compressions.”
The man’s attorney, Angelyn Gates, has said in the past that Diaz is a diagnosed schizophrenic who was “psychotic” at the time of the alleged crime.
Los Angeles County jail records show that on Tuesday, Diaz was transferred to Patton State Hospital for treatment, as he was found last year to be incompetent to stand trial.
A hearing to review his progress is slated for March.
Reports of fraud remained almost the same, with 696 incidents reported last year, compared to 699 the year before.
Meanwhile, vandalism reports plunged by almost 30% last year, with 384 reports filed, down from 528 the year before.
Prostitution cases also dropped from 12 incidents in 2013 to just three last year.
In total, police responded to 34,212 calls for service, 498 of which were felonies in progress, according to the data.