California saw increase in killings, violent crime in 2021, according to released report

California saw an uptick in violent crime in 2021, including an increase in homicides, according to data released Friday by state officials. 

The figures are part of the California Criminal Justice Statistical Report released by state Attorney General Rob Bonta. 

“While crime rates remain significantly below their historical highs, property and violent crimes continue to have devastating consequences for communities across the state,” he said in a statement. “Gun violence in particular remains a consistent and growing threat.”

According to the data, California saw a 7.2% increase in homicides 2,202 in 2020 to 2,361 in 2021. The latest figure is far from the state’s historical high of 4,095 murders in 1993. Around three-quarters of the killings involved a firearm, Bonta’s office said. 

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Homicide arrests dipped by nearly 3% but remained above the 10-year average of 1,478.2 homicide arrests per year, the report said. 

Among California counties with populations of 100,00 or more people, Kern County, just north of Los Angeles County, had the highest murder rate of 9.5 killings. Placer County experienced the lowest rate and Napa and Shasta counties reported no killings at all. 

Violent crime in general increased 6.7% in counties with populations of 100,000 or more. The property crime rate increased 3% while arrest rates decreased from 7.3% last year. Several parts of the state were plagued last year with escalating crime rates. 

The Los Angeles and San Francisco areas saw a steep rise in retail thefts caught on social media, prompting concerns from business groups and corporations. 

Of the 19,355 juvenile arrests made last year, nearly 50% were for felony offenses, while 77% of the suspected offenders were referred for probation. 

The report comes as certain areas of the state continue to be plagued by violent crime. Los Angeles County continues to combat follow-home robberies in which victims are followed by suspects from one location to another. Much of the crime began during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and continued as many cities adopted criminal justice reform policies like zero-bail and slashed funding to police departments.