Manteca escaped 2012 without recording a single homicide.

That is a major turnaround from 2011 when five homicides were recorded within the city limits.

Typically, Manteca records between one and three murders a year.

Statistics for the three previous years show one homicide in 2008, two homicides in 2009, and one homicide in 2010.

The vast majority of murder cases in Manteca are brought to a conclusion. That means someone is determined to be a suspect in a killing and is arrested. In virtually every homicide the victim knew their assailant.

Although final 2012 crime statistics haven’t been completed by the Manteca Police Department, statistics through November show so-called Part One Crimes that range from vehicle theft and assault to homicide  were trending up in November 2011 to November 2012 comparisons by 4.92 percent. Part One Crimes consists of 12 felony classifications the FBI uses to determine the relative safety of communities.

Most of the crimes are property related.

Through November, for example, vehicle theft was up in the 11-month period by 49.15 percent going from236 cases to 352. Meanwhile, residential burglary was down 22.97 percent dropping from 296 cases to 228.