Sheriff’s captain reports 2024 crime and response‑time figures to Calimesa council

Riverside County Sheriff Captain Northrop briefed the Calimesa City Council on March 3 with a year‑end summary of 2024 crime and response‑time data, reporting increases in aggravated assaults and auto thefts while overall Part‑1 crime totals fell compared with the previous year.

Northrop said 2024 saw no homicides or robberies but 49 aggravated assaults and a total of 51 Part‑1 violent crimes, up from 30 the year before. Property crimes totaled 215, including 42 vehicle thefts, up from 33 the prior year. Larceny‑theft and burglary counts were lower, he said.

Calls for service totaled 6,703 in 2024; of those, 3,685 were citizen‑initiated and 3,018 deputy‑initiated. There were 112 bookable arrests in 2024, up from 86 in 2023. Northrop said Priority‑1 average response times increased slightly from 7.17 minutes in 2023 to 7.46 minutes in 2024; Priority‑2 and lower priorities saw improvements.

The captain urged residents and business owners to report thefts and other crimes promptly so deputies can allocate resources. He also reminded the public that off‑road riding in the hills is unsafe and not permitted, highlighting a recent remote off‑road collision that required a multi‑agency response.

Ending: Council members asked follow‑up questions about enforcement options and about coordination with the city on grant funding for off‑road enforcement. No formal council action was taken on the crime statistics; the report was received for the record.