Police Report: Major Crime Down 9.7 Percent in Menifee

According to the annual police report, Part 1 crimes in Menifee decreased 9.7 percent in 2014.

As Menifee's population grows and media reports of criminal activity increase, residents have expressed the belief that crime numbers in the city continue to grow.

While it is true that the Menifee Police Department is understaffed by county standards, serious crime in Menifee actually decreased last year, according to the city's police chief.

In his annual report to the city council at its March 18 meeting, Chief Mike Judge said that Part 1 crimes in Menifee decreased by 9.7 percent in 2014. Part 1 crimes are identified as those including murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, auto theft, larceny and arson.

According to the figures presented by Judge, Part 1 crimes in 2014 numbered 1,609. That is down from a total of 1,782 in 2013 and 2,029 in 2012. Robbery increased by 47.6 percent, but burglary decreased 13.3 percent, vehicle theft decreased 11.6 percent and property crime decreased 10.8 percent (see chart below).

In addition, Judge said that response times for Priority 1 crimes was reduced from 9 minutes, 52 seconds in 2013 to 8:48 last year.

The Menifee Police Department is actually a unit of the Perris station of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, with which the City of Menifee contracts at a cost of more than $10.2 million for the current year, according to city records.

Menifee has added two patrol officers and one motor officer in the last year, but the department still has just 25 patrol officers. The average is 120 patrol hours daily dedicated to Menifee, Judge said. Even when you count classified employees, however, the department has only about .5 officers for every 1,000 residents -- half of what the county standard is.

During Judge's presentation, council member Greg August asked whether the number of registered sex offenders in the Sun City community of Menifee is higher than the proportion in other communities or cities. Judge (left) didn't provide numbers but said Menifee "does not have an inordinate amount" of registered sex offenders and that one police officer is assigned strictly to monitor sex offenders in the area.

Residence checks are made every two months, he said. Last month, four registered sex offenders were found to be out of compliance but none live in Sun City, he added.

Council member Matt Liesemeyer told Judge the biggest complaint hehears from residents concerns heavy traffic, speeding and other traffic violations.

Judge was quick with his response.

"It's music to my ears that the No. 1 complaint is traffic," he said. "That means the major quality of life issues are being addressed. I feel their pain regarding traffic, but with growth comes construction."

Liesemeyer also expressed concern about speeding cars on the stretch of Newport Road near Audie Murphy Ranch, where there is heavy pedestrian traffic for the skate park. Judge said once a traffic survey of the area is completed, the department would consider placing officers with radar guns on that stretch of road.