Police report reveals rising aggravated assaults and fluctuating crime trends

The City of Lake Elsinore City Council convened on April 22, 2025, to discuss various public safety metrics and trends as presented by Lieutenant Clark. The meeting focused on the city's calls for service, crime statistics, and traffic incidents over the past months.

The presentation began with an overview of calls for service, indicating a slight increase in January compared to the previous year, a decrease in February, and a near tie in March. The busiest time for calls consistently fell between noon and 6 PM.

Lieutenant Clark then reported on felony and misdemeanor arrests, noting an overall increase in felony arrests for January and February, with a slight decrease in March. Misdemeanor arrests saw a significant decline over the past year.

The discussion moved to Part 1 crimes, covering the six-month period from October 2024 to March 2025. Aggravated assaults showed a notable increase, particularly in December and March, with many incidents linked to domestic violence. Conversely, robberies and burglaries experienced a decrease, with burglaries dropping from 94 to 55 incidents. Larceny incidents saw a slight uptick, attributed to special enforcement operations conducted in October.

In terms of violent crimes over the last three months, aggravated assaults were up, while other violent crimes, including robberies, were down. Fortunately, there were no reported homicides during this period. Property crimes presented a mixed picture, with burglaries fluctuating but showing a downward trend in March.

Lieutenant Clark also highlighted traffic collision statistics, reporting a total of 101 collisions in February and 80 in March, with two fatalities occurring in February. The response times for emergency services remained within the targeted range of five to six minutes for the first quarter of the year.

The meeting concluded with Lieutenant Clark inviting questions from the council, but none were posed. The council's focus on public safety metrics reflects ongoing efforts to monitor and improve community safety in Lake Elsinore.