Serious Crime Down in Newport, but Overall Crime Up: Authorities

Newport Beach Police and HAZMAT Units investigate 2 deaths and one injury at a Balboa Island Home in Newport Beach, Calif., on Oct.25, 2021. John Fredricks, The Epoch Times

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.—Overall crime in Newport Beach increased in 2021 compared to 2020, though serious crimes declined during the same period, Newport Beach Police Chief John Lewis said in a presentation during a Feb. 22 city council meeting.

Part 1 crimes—defined by the FBI on its uniform crime report as murder, aggravated assault, rape, robbery, larceny, vehicle theft, and arson—decreased by 8.8 percent, or 172 fewer cases from 2020 to 2021.