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Laguna Hills Police report: calls steady, violent and property crimes down year‑over‑year
Summary
Captain Burke told the council Laguna Hills had 5,260 calls for service in Q3, average emergency response time of 4:54, crimes against persons down about 15.6% and property crime down about 24.1% compared with Q3 2024; the department reported increased enforcement activity and highlighted large recoveries of stolen e‑bikes.
Captain Burke presented the Laguna Hills Police Services third‑quarter report, summarizing calls for service, response times, arrests, enforcement activity and traffic trends. Key figures: 5,260 total calls for service in Q3; average emergency response to priority calls 4 minutes, 54 seconds; crimes against persons down 15.58% and property crimes down 24.09% compared with Q3 2024. Captain Burke characterized a 2.2% rise in "crimes against society" as increased proactive enforcement (drug recoveries, guns taken off streets, arrests for driving under the influence) rather than a rise in victim crimes.
Arrests and enforcement totals included 47 felony arrests, 71 misdemeanor arrests, 54 warrant arrests and 33 criminal citations. Motors issued 693 citations with 202 warnings (895 total enforcement events), most frequently for speeding (33.7%), followed by stop‑sign/red‑light violations (26.1%) and distracted driving (22.5%). Traffic collisions increased 12.7% year‑over‑year in Q3, with zero fatal collisions, 27 collisions involving injury and 16 non‑injury collisions; one pedestrian collision resulted in an injury but that person was reported OK.
Captain Burke highlighted deputy achievements, including deputy Lisa Vasquez’s strong enforcement statistics and a seizure leading to an arrest for possession with intent to sell, and deputy Dylan Stevenson’s recovery of large numbers of stolen e‑bikes (one operation led to recovery of 43 bikes). The department continues community outreach via events (Pumpkin City, Prescription Drug Take Back Day) and said it will adjust enforcement based on collision and citation data.
