Ever since California Governor Gavin Newsom issued a stay-at-home order to combat the spread of COVID-19, we’ve wondered if criminals are following this order as well. Has the pandemic had any effect on local crime rates? Reporter Heather Clisby sheds some light on the matter…
On March 19, California became the first state in the nation to officially recognize the deadly implications of COVID-19 by issuing a stay-at-home order for all residents. Now a month in to this new reality, we checked in with local law enforcement to see if this order has had any effect on crime rates.
Captain Luke Niles of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department Morongo Basin Station stated that while they saw a “slight dip” in calls for service at the outset of the order, that bit of peace lasted about a week.
After that time period, the call volume rose a bit higher than usual before leveling out to normal the following week.
Niles also stated that the station’s “typical calls fluctuated somewhat” as residential burglary calls slowed and reports of domestic violence rose ever-so-slightly compared to this period last year, but again, these types of calls have returned to “normal” levels.
“There is not much change in the overall number of calls we would typically see,” said Niles.
