2011 Was La Mesa’s Second-Lowest for Robberies in 6 Years, Final Tally Shows

La Mesa police recorded 90 robberies in 2011, a 32 percent increase over 2010 but the second-lowest figure in the past six years.

Of those 90 robberies, 48 were armed, according to data provided Friday by the La Mesa Police Department.

During a highly publicized period in October and November, the city saw 13 armed robberies, police say. But according to a final tally for 2011, June and July were nearly as bad—with 10 armed robberies here.

In comparison with other years, 2011 was relatively low in robberies of all types.

• In 2006, 111 robberies were recorded (31 cleared by arrest or other means). 
• In 2007, 125 robberies were recorded (63 cleared).
• In 2008, 122 robberies were recorded (47 cleared).
• In 2009, 112 robberies were recorded (60 cleared).
• In 2010, 68 robberies were recorded (29 cleared).

All pre-2011 figures come from the police chief’s quarterly operations reports, which cite data from ARJIS—the Automated Regional Justice Information System. Armed robberies for 2006 through 2010 were not listed in the ARJIS data.

But a month-by-month breakdown of robberies and armed robberies in La Mesa provided by police Detective Dale Perry show a relatively consistent pattern throughout 2011.

The La Mesa Police Department this year recorded 48 armed robberies, with 25 arrests associated with these incidents. The larger category of robberies saw 90 total in 2011, with 40 arrests, Perry said.

“Four of the arrested suspects [in 2011] were responsible for multiple robberies within our city,” Perry said via email. “They were not residents of La Mesa.”

On Nov. 1, La Mesa police hosted a police station forum for merchants on how to protect themselves from robbery.  More than 50 business owners and residents attended.

Here are stats for total La Mesa robberies in 2011 (number arrested in parentheses):

• January     10 (6)
• February    8 (6)
• March        7 (2)
• April          8 (4)
• May           7 (2)
• June          8 (3)
• July           10 (5)
• August       4 (2)
• September 5 (1)
• October      9 (4)
• November  11 (2)
• December   3 (2)

Here are figures for La Mesa armed robberies in 2011:

• January     4 (2)
• February    5 (3)
• March        4 (2)
• April          3 (3)
• May           2 (1)
• June          6 (3)
• July           4 (2)
• August       3 (1)
• September 2 (1)
• October     6 (3)
• November  7 (3)
• December  2 (0)