Criminal activity can be divided into two basic categories: property and violent crimes. Violent crimes include things like assault and weapons offenses while property crimes do not involve a means of threatening to accomplish the crime. This is why robbery is not classified as a property crime. By its very definition, robbery involves theft by means of force, violence or threatened force or violence. Law enforcement makes millions of arrests every year. In 2010, over 13 million arrests were made. Just over 500,000 of these were violent crime arrests while over one million were property crimes.
If you have been charged with a property crime, contact a skilled Los Angeles criminal defense attorney today for a free consultation.
What are Property Crimes?
Some of the most common types of property crimes include:
This is by no means an extensive list of all things that are considered property crimes. If you have been arrested for a property crime such as graffiti, stealing a car, arson or some other related offense, then a Los Angeles property crime lawyer from our firm can help. Martinian Lawyers can use the full extent of the law to build a strong case in your defense. You are innocent until proven guilty, and we to maintain that innocence.
Los Angeles Property Crime Statistics
Because Los Angeles has a statistically higher crime rate than a majority of other cities in the state of California, law enforcement will heavily patrol for property crimes. There are anywhere from 80,000 and 90,000 property crimes in the city of Los Angeles every year. The total number of property crimes far outnumbers the amount of annual violent crimes. Going by these statistics, the city of Los Angeles scores about a 29 on the crime rate scale, meaning crimes are committed more often than in 71 percent of other cities in the U.S. Certain cities and neighborhoods within the Los Angeles boundaries are more likely to experience a high rate of property crimes than others. For example, cities such as Inglewood, Compton, Watts and Echo Park.
Motor Vehicle Theft
There are five major types of motor vehicle theft. Some are considered property crimes while others are classified as violent crimes. For example, an individual can be accused of motor vehicle theft for allegedly driving away a car in which someone forgot to take out the keys. There is also a fraudulent form of vehicle theft. This is common with used car transactions from private sellers. These sellers could advertise through Craigslist or other types of print or online advertisements.
Carjacking is another type of motor vehicle theft, but this is often considered a violent crime, because to accomplish carjacking a person must take the vehicle by force or threat. According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program, “motor vehicle theft is defined as the theft or attempted theft of a motor vehicle.” What this means is that even an attempt to steal a car, even if that attempt was unsuccessful, can constitute a criminal charge. The most recent statistics indicate that there are approximately 700,000 motor vehicle thefts every year.
Contacting a Los Angeles Property Crime Lawyer
Martinian Lawyers can provide you with exceptional defense representation if you have been arrested for a property crime. These can be charged as felonies or misdemeanors, depending on the severity and the nature of the alleged offense. All criminal charges are serious, and should be handled by exceptional and knowledgeable Los Angeles property crime attorneys.
