Robberies increased the first half of this year while auto thefts mostly decreased in the cities of Fontana, Ontario, Pomona, Rancho Cucamonga and Rialto.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation released preliminary crime statistics nationwide Monday for January through June of 2006 for cities with populations of more than 100,000.

Categories in 2006 included violent crime - which includes murder, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault - and motor vehicle theft, among others. Those figures were compared with 2005 statistics.

Nationwide, the FBI's numbers showed robberies increased 9.7 percent and motor vehicle theft decreased 2.3 percent. Murders went up 1.4 percent and aggravated assaults increased 1.2 percent.

In Fontana, robberies increased from 95 to 121, or 27.4 percent, and Ontario's rose from 129 to 196 or 51.9 percent.

Pomona's robberies went up from 162 to 187 or 15.4 percent and Rancho Cucamonga's increased from 63 to 68 or 7.9 percent.

"For such a small difference like that, it's hard to say what the cause is," said Pomona police Chief Joe Romero on Monday. He said the department would look at where the robberies occur and the victims to see if there are any

correlations.

Rialto's robberies jumped from 108 to 149 or 38 percent.

Auto thefts in Fontana decreased from 700 to 597 or 14.7 percent, while Ontario's dropped from 1,076 to 959 or 10.9 percent.

Pomona's auto thefts went from 746 to 729, showing a decrease of 2.3 percent.

Romero said when Pomona reached a spike in its auto thefts recently, authorities began using a decoy program with the California Highway Patrol in areas identified as prone to grand theft auto.

They also worked closely with Los Angeles County probation officers to identify juveniles on probation for auto theft and track those individuals, he said.

Rialto's auto thefts decreased from 596 to 535, or by 10.2 percent.

Rancho Cucamonga's auto thefts increased from 351 to 371, or 5.7 percent.

Ontario saw a variety of categories increase, including violent crime, up from 397 in 2005 to 513 in 2006, or 29.2 percent. Among crimes increasing in the city were rapes, up from 26 to 48, or 84.6 percent; robberies from 129 to 196, or 51.9 percent; and aggravated assaults from 237 to 265, or 11.8 percent.

Fontana's number of violent crimes also increased from 348 to 427 or 22.7 percent. The number of rapes went down from 25 to 11 or 56 percent, while aggravated assaults increased from 224 to 292 or 30.4 percent.

Pomona saw its rapes decrease from 24 in 2005 to 12 in 2006, down by 50 percent.

"We're particularly happy with such a low number of sexual assaults," Romero said. "One of the things we work closely with is sexual assault advocacy groups like Project Sister."

Pomona's aggravated assaults also went down from 404 to 365 or 9.7 percent. Overall, violent crimes decreased from 600 to 575 or 4.2 percent.

Rancho Cucamonga's violent crime numbers went up from 167 to 187, or by 12 percent, with their aggravated assaults increasing from 91 to 102 or 12.1 percent.

Rialto's murders increased from 5 to 9, an 80 percent jump, and rapes increased from 18 to 25, or 38.9 percent. Their violent crime numbers overall decreased from 410 to 351 or 14.3 percent, with aggravated assaults lower from 279 to 168, a 39.7 percent decrease.

Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga and Rialto officials were reached Monday night, but said they could not comment until they verified the figures and deferred questions to other departments.

A call to Fontana police was not returned.

Staff writer Wes Woods II can be reached by e-mail at wes.woods@dailybulletin.com, or by phone at (909) 483-9378.


BS Ranch Perspective:

The facts of the matter is that it is the Robbery/Season, Just like it is the Season to be Jolly, it is the season to be Robbed as well! There are more robberies in this time then there are during even the summer time, and that is because the families that are trying to make a Christmas for their Children that don't have any Money, they Take chances, that you or I would not normally do! Also, Since People are expected to be out carrying more cash and the like they figure that they are more likely to have the money that is needed to Cash in on the Christmas Spirit that they might need for their families to get the Christmas Presents that they want under the tree. Christmas is a commercial time and it is even a Commercial time for those that don't have much money and they get Desperate, Desperate people do desperate things to get what they need or want to make their children have what they didn't at Christmas time. Or they are trying to get somewhere that they could not afford, such as they need to get back home so they start to commit armed Robberies to get the money to travel to the city are neighboring town and visit family, just to appear that they have the job that they don't have, people will do desperate things at a time when they need to appear to have a things like a job, and or success, in a job, and Money the main thing to any successful job or career!

I am sorry, isn't what most robber's will tell you but I know that there are some that might say it if given the chance to. They are not given the chance to say that they are sorry, and didn't mean to steal the money, But then you have the other type that says, OH! Yes I was, I meant every cent of it. He he he he. Those are the ones that really need to be locked up, they don't have any remorse for what they did to the person from which they stole the money from. I think that all Robbers need to be behind bars, but if you were to listen to some of the Psychologists talk today they would say that some just need to be talked to in most stern way! Other's need to have your foot broken off in their ass!! Even that will not break them of the habit of robberies against their brother man!!

Yes, You can Count on the fact that Robberies are up, but it is unclear how much they are up until the numbers are brought up to speed from the CAU division and that would take some time, since the current call status and how the crimes where committed have not been properly tallied in the Crime Analysis Unit (CAU), and so the numbers that they brought to the table would not be confirmed and would not be the right total. They would only be a partial and then you would be working with only a partial total! that isn't a good sum, working with sum, of a dollar doesn't make the total amount of the dollar plan out right, Unless you wait for the numbers to be determine that within Commercial Statistics will give the right numbers, but not until Christmas season is over and we are into the next year Celebrating the Spring Break or Easter for those that are Christians.

The Number of Robberies Varies depending upon the Unemployment Numbers, since the unemployment numbers are pretty good there should be a bump in the Robbery Rate but not as large as years past when the Unemployment rate was in double figures.

BS Ranch