Did you call Fresno Police in 2020? Here’s who did as crime rose, service calls dropped

The Fresno Police Department has released its 2020 annual report — and as crime rose, calls for service decreased.

The 40-page document is mostly made for quick public consumption, highlighting the department’s work over the year, including the hiring of a new chief, the opening of a new district station at Fancher Creek and the department’s assistance with the Creek Fire.

While it is by no means a statistical deep dive, it does offer some insight into the departments and the kind and amount of crime Fresno saw over the 12 months of 2020.

Fresno crime up, calls down and 74 homicides

Overall, crime increased in Fresno across nearly all major categories, according to the report; the exceptions being larceny, which dropped to its lowest level since 2011, and forcible rape. There were slight increases in robberies, burglaries and vehicle thefts.

This, even as the number of police reports and calls for service declined. The department fielded over 350,000 calls for service in 2020, according to the report. That number was near 450,000 in 2019.

The city saw its largest increases in the number of homicides and aggravated assaults. There were nearly 2,500 aggravated assaults reported in 2020, up from 1,936 reported the year prior. It is the largest number since 2011, according to the report.

The number of homicides in Fresno jumped 64% year over year. The department’s Homicide Unit investigated 74 homicides in 2020r, including several high-profile cases such as Jose Rivera, the 53-year-old street vendor fatally shot in the Tower District in November 2020.

Detectives made arrests in most of the cases. The department had a 97% filing rate for homicides with the District Attorney’s Office, the report said.

Car thefts well below 2011 levels

In 2011, Fresno was ranked No. 1 for car theft in the nation. That’s according to the report, and seconded by the National Insurance Crime Bureau. Back then, cars were being stolen at a rate of 13 per day.

By comparison, 2020 saw a vast improvement. In total 2,602 cars were reported stolen for the year, or just over seven each day. That was a sight increase from the 2019 number.

The department’s Career Criminal Auto Theft Team made 299 arrests in 2020, closed 32 chop shops and returned 421 cars to their owners, the report said.

Traffic fatalities in Fresno

Fresno saw 55 fatal car crashes in 2020, all caused by violations of the California Vehicle Code. In all 63, people were killed in the crashes, the report said. Another person died of a medical event while driving.

There have been at least 25 traffic fatalities in Fresno so far this year.

Terminations, suspensions and letters of reprimand

Also listed near the top of the report are statistics from the department’s Internal Affairs Bureau, which investigates allegations of misconduct and determines appropriate administrative responses.

There were 321 inquiries and informal complaints made against the department in 2020. The IA Bureau opened 123 cases, 57 of which remain open.

IA investigations resulted in 84 disciplinary actions, including suspensions (52), letters of reprimand (15) and terminations (in four cases). There were eight resignations, according t the report.

A link to the report is posted on the department’s Facebook page.