Hermosa Beach Police Beat
Property crime rose in 2017
Property crime in Hermosa Beach rose in 2017 over the previous year, driven by a sharp spike in burglaries and auto thefts, but violent crime declined compared to 2016. According to figures provided by HBPD, Hermosa recorded 116 burglaries and 48 stolen cars in 2017, up from 85 and 30, respectively, in 2016. A “significant portion” of the stolen vehicles were later recovered in other cities, police said.
Simple larceny remained essentially static. Officers say that many thefts in Hermosa are crimes of opportunity, originating with open windows or unlocked doors. About one-third of all thefts in the city came from unlocked cars, police said
Overall violent crime dropped by 9.4 percent. Sex crimes, robbery, and aggravated assault all declined. Simple assault, in which the perpetrator’s intent is to cause an injury less severe than in aggravated assault, increased from 58 incidents to 68.