City of Santa Clara 2024 Crime Statistics

The following table provides a summary of crimes in the City of Santa Clara for the current calendar year. Historical information and more detailed offense reporting information is also available on this page. 

Recent Changes in Crime Reporting

Since its earliest days, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has collected national crime data.

Currently, California is one of eight states that utilizes the Summary Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) method to report crime statistics to the FBI. The remainder of the country utilizes National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS).

The law enforcement community called for a thorough study of FBI crime statistics with the objective of recommending an expanded and enhanced program to meet future law enforcement needs. It was determined, NIBRS will replace UCR across the country in late-2021. The implementation of NIBRS is expected to provide consistency throughout the U.S. for quantifying crime. It will also support the mission to generate reliable information to optimize law enforcement management, training, planning and research to strategically and effectively reduce crime.

What are the Differences Between UCR and NIBRS?

It is important to highlight the differences between UCR and NIBRS, as the City of Santa Clara’s crime statistics will change as a result of this new reporting method.

UCR

• Consists of monthly aggregate crime counts for 8 Index crimes
• Records one offense per incident as determined by hierarchy rule
• Hierarchy rule suppresses counts of lesser offenses in multiple-offense incidents
• Does not distinguish between attempted and completed crimes
• Collects weapon information for murder, robbery, and aggravated assault
• Provides counts on arrests for the 8 Index crimes and 21 other offenses

NIBRS

• NIBRS collects data about victims, known offenders and relationships for offenses reported in 23 categories with 52 offenses. It also presents arrest data for those crimes, as well as 10 additional categories for which only arrest data is collected
• Records each offense occurring in an incident
• Distinguishes between attempted and completed crimes
• Restructures definition of assault
• Collects weapon information for all violent offenses

In short, NIBRS is capable of producing more detailed, accurate, and meaningful data because data is collected about when and where crime takes place, what form it takes, and the characteristics of its victims and perpetrators.

What Categories and Offenses are Captured Through NIBRS?

When is the Transition to NIBRS Taking Place?

The Santa Clara Police Department (SCPD) transitioned to a new Records Management System (RMS) on September 1, 2021.

Replacing the RMS is a significant implementation of core technology systems that, in part, will produce more efficient officer workflows, allow for more timely and accurate data collection and analysis as well as offer enhanced reporting capabilities. Implementing this core system is the first step to ensuring the City of Santa Clara can transition to NIBRS.

SCPD will begin submitting NIBRS data in October, 2021. Law enforcement agencies are required to submit three (3) separate monthly crime report submissions, with a 4% or less margin of error, in order to achieve NIBRS certification. SCPD hopes to achieve certification by Spring, 2022.

What Changes Should Residents Expect as a Result of this Change?

These changes will bring improved detail and a more transparent approach to crime reporting for the public. It will also make comparing crime statistics between communities more meaningful by bringing consistency throughout the U.S. The availability of NIBRS data is also an opportunity for law enforcement to improve the way data is used to measure agency workload, outcomes and performance.

The perception may be that the City of Santa Clara’s lower-level crime statistics have increased. This change in reporting is not expected to reflect an actual increase in crime, but rather a change in the way crimes will be reported.

Examples of incidents of crime and how they are reported under each system:

2024 NIBRS Crime Statistics

The following table provides the Group A NIBRS crimes in the City of Santa Clara for this calendar year. This information is an expanded view of what was provided in the previous chart.

For comparison purposes, below is a summary of Part 1 Crimes over the past several years.

* Rape totals increased in 2014 and subsequent years due to a change in classification of crimes per the Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation.

** Population estimate per U.S. Census

Homicide Disposition - Historical Summary

2015 
10/25/15 Homicide (Case #15-12367) resulted in the arrest of Solomon Bowen and Reymundo Perez

2016
1/8/16 Homicide (Case #16-269) resulting in the arrest of Tara McNeill Palajac (family member of victim) on 1/12/16
1/29/16 Homicide (Case #16-1040) resulting in arrest of Jonah Castro (friend of the victim) on 2/3/16
8/19/16 Murder/Suicide (Case #16-7700) with the suspect identified as Lee Corbin (son of the victim)

2017
7/5/17 Homicide (Case #17-5727) resulting in the arrests of Eric Carter and Giovanny Ortiz on 7/7/17
8/8/17 Murder/Suicide (Case #17-6766) with the suspect identified as Michael Reyer (husband of victim)

2018
7/20/18 Homicide (Case #18-6557) resulting in the arrest of Gage McCartney on 7/24/18 (co-worker of victim)

2019
8/25/19 Vehicular Homicide (Case #19-825014) resulting in the arrest of Claudio Perez on 8/25/19

2020
8/15/20 Homicide (Case #20-815119) resulting in the arrests of Jesse Brito and Stacy Segelin (associates of victim) on 8/16/20

2024
1/16/24 Homicide (Case #24011600038) resulting in the arrest of Liren Chen on 1/16/24 (husband of victim)
2/20/24 Homicide (Case #2402200013) resulting in the arrest of Sergio ColinGomez on 2/20/24 (boyfriend of victim's mother)

Online Crime Alerts and Maps

The Santa Clara Police Department offers online crime alerting and mapping services through a third-party vendor, called LexisNexis, which allows residents the ability to sort according to preferences (e.g. by zip code, within a specified distance of a specific address, date range, type of event(s), etc.) and sign up to receive automated alerts. This service helps the public get a better idea of the crime activity in their area so they can make more informed decisions about how to stay safe. It is also a helpful tool when evaluating a new place to live or work. This crime mapping tool can be found at www.communitycrimemap.com (for the best user experience, use Microsoft Edge). 

It is important to note, not all police calls for service result in a police report. As a result, police activity that does not result in a police report would not be noted through this service.

Traffic Violations