FRESNO CA (KMJ) – Fresno Police release crime numbers that show a continued downward trend.
Homicides are down in the city 47.4 percent, said Police Chief Jerry Dyer, last year at this time there were 38 murders in Fresno, this year there were 20.
Violent crime is down 1.3 percent compared to last year.
Police are still looking for Navan Folkes for a robbery on April 23rd, 2018 at the La Vogue Beauty Salon on 1490 W Shaw Ave.
Folkes broke the rear sliding glass door for entry, forcefully took the victim”s purse, then shot his firearm into the ceiling.
Chief Dyer says property crimes are also dropping.
“The two largest categories in terms of reductions is that of burglaries, both business burglaries and residential burglaries are down 27.9 percent in our city, and then auto theft is down 27.6 percent,” said Dyer
8 cars were stolen daily last year, it’s down to just over 5 daily.
One current target is minivans – especially in Southeast Fresno.
Robbers are also stealing cigarettes, Chief Dyer says its a target because of the high resale values and he’s warning store owners to lock up merchandise.
Not all the numbers are down.
“We have a slight uptick in aggravated assaults, said Chief Dyer. “Some of that is the result of the some of the shootings we’ve seen over the last 14 days in our city.”
Still, Fresno’s Police Chief is glad to be able to put more officers on the streets, with 815 sworn officers on the force he says it’s almost at 99 percent of what’s authorized for the city of Fresno, but still not what it was nine years ago.
Click to listen to the report by KMJ’s Liz Kern:
