Hate Crimes, Homicides Declined In California In 2014
SACRAMENTO (AP) — The state attorney general's office says hate crimes and homicides decreased across California in 2014, along with most other crimes.
In several reports released Wednesday, the office of Attorney General Kamala Harris says hate crime offenses fell nearly 9 percent last year.
The decline comes amid a heightened focus on hate crimes after a white man was charged with killing nine black churchgoers in Charleston, South Carolina, last month.
In California, the rate of most major crimes also declined last year.
The homicide rate dropped more than 4 percent, while robberies fell 10 percent. Aggravated assaults, however, increased more than 2 percent in 2014.
Harris' office also says the roughly 1.2 million arrests last year was the lowest number since 1969.
The information comes from local police and district attorneys.
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