Every category of felonies in Manteca — except unlawful intercourse or rape, grand theft and vehicle theft — continues to drop.

For the second consecutive month, February statistics compiled by the Manteca Police Department shows crime falling 7.46 percent in year-to-year comparisons while city adds an average of 150 residents a month.

At the same time overall burglaries have gone from 183 in the first two months of 2018 to 124 for the same period in 2019 for a 32.4 percent drop.  Misdemeanors are also down by 5.15 percent in the year-to-year comparisons for January and February.

Overall arrests were up 3.24 percent going from 340 to 351.

The initial glimpse of crime in Manteca so far in 2019 provided in the February report of the Manteca Police Department looks promising although two months is too short of a period to determine trends for a calendar year. 

Based on crime per 1,000 residents, 2018 saw an increase in criminal activity in Manteca. There were 864 burglaries or 10.6 burglaries per 1,000 residents and 2,167 or 26.7 felonies per thousand residents. The 2017 numbers were 807 burglaries or 10.2 burglaries per 1,000 residents, and1, 969 felonies or 24.9 felonies per 1,000 residents.

The crime per 1,000 takes into account population growth to put numeric increases or decreases into perspective for an apple to apple comparison in terms of overall burglaries and felonies. It is the matrix the FBI uses to determine crime rates and the relative safety of communities.

On a per 1,000 basis the 2018 crime level was a virtual carbon copy of 2015.

Crime in Manteca peaked in 2011 when the city had 69,246 residents compared to 81,450 residents in 2018. That year there were 15.7 burglaries and 30.2 felonies per 1,000 residents.

The crime rate dropped steadily until 2016 when it went up before dropping back down in 2017 and then inching up last year.

Auto theft in January-February was up 1.43 percent going from 70 to 71. Rape and unlawful intercourse went from 3 to 5 reported cases and grand theft 26 to 234 cases compared to the same two months in 2018.

Everything else dropped, The biggest numerical and percentage decreases were robbery going from 20 to 5 for a 75 percent drop, auto burglary going from 106 to 76, commercial burglary going from 37 to 18, and residential burglary from 27 to 24.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com