California Officials Tout New Crime Stats But Report Lacks Full Picture

The state’s 2024 crime reports are missing data from parts of Los Angeles, San Diego, and Kern counties.

Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies at a crime scene in Torrance, Calif., on Jan. 22, 2023. Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images

A July 1 report from the California attorney general’s office showed crime headed downward in the state.

Data from 2024 showed a 6 percent decrease in violent crime, an 8.4 percent drop in property crime, a more than 10 percent dip in homicides, and 6.5 percent fewer aggravated assaults.

The report also revealed motor vehicle thefts decreased by over 15 percent, while arsons dropped nearly 10 percent and burglaries dipped by more than 9 percent. The robbery rate also decreased by 6.3 percent, according to the 2024 data.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta applauded the new data.

“In the wake of a nationwide spike in crime during the pandemic, California made the choice to invest—not abandon—our communities,” Newsom said in a statement July 2.  “While Republicans in Congress push a bill that would gut law enforcement funding and the President focuses on arresting farmworkers, California is showing what real public safety looks like: serious investments, strong enforcement, and real results.”

The reports, however, have incomplete and missing crime data from some of California’s most populated areas. Newsom’s office did not return a request asking whether the governor was aware of the gaps.

The state was unable to fully collect data because of staffing and reporting issues in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Kern counties.

The San Diego Sheriff’s Department, serving nearly 1 million, transitioned to a new system in November, which caused its December counts to be low, the state reported.

In Los Angeles County, Downey Police Department, which serves more than 113,200 residents, was unable to report its 2024 data.

Central California’s Kern County data was also incomplete. The Arvin and Wasco police departments were not able to report data for the year for nearly 46,300 residents, the state noted.

Imperial, Plumas, San Joaquin, and Shasta counties—serving nearly 1.2 million residents combined—also did not submit a full year of data to the state.

An officer puts up tape at a crime scene. Samantha Laurey/AFP via Getty Images

The Brawley Police Department and Plumas County Sheriff’s Office were unable to provide any reports for 2024. Redding Police Department omitted December’s data because of agency challenges and Lodi began reporting in August 2024 because of system issues, according to the report.

Bonta said the crime data were a critical part of understanding the status of statewide crime issues.

“Transparency is key for understanding, preventing, and combating crime in our communities,” Bonta said in a statement July 1. “While crime rates have declined over the past year, public safety in our communities remains priorities one, two, and three.”

Attorney General Rob Bonta speaks as Gov. Gavin Newsom looks on during a news conference at Gemperle Orchard in Ceres, Calif., on April 16, 2025. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Law enforcement agencies have undergone a transition nationwide in crime reporting.

In 2016, the FBI director announced the bureau was transitioning to a National Incident-Based Reporting System by 2021. Incident-based reporting aims to provide a more complete picture than the previous system, known as summary reporting, by including more information on victims, known offenders, and relationships between victims and offenders, according to the FBI’s website.

The California Department of Justice began a five-year effort to develop and implement a new state data repository called the California Incident-Based Reporting System to house the new stats.

The repository combines the federal data requirements with added data specific to California, which began collecting data in 2021. However, not all of the state’s law enforcement agencies have transitioned, according to the July 1 report.