The city of Santa Clarita’s Public Safety Committee heard about how local crime numbers are continuing a downward trend during a quarterly update last week at City Hall from the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station.  The data available for the first two months of 2025 compared to the s ame time last year shows Part-I crimes in the city and unincorporated areas are down, 17.5% and 24.8%, respectively. There were 681 incidents reported in the first two months of 2024 and 551 in 2025.  Over that same timespan, just in the city, for violent crime: the number of reported robberies increased from 11 to 17; aggravated assaults went down from 39 to 23; and the total number of violent crimes dropped from 56 to 47.  The biggest statistical reason for the reduction was a drop in property crimes, continuing a trend that Capt. Justin Diez noted in December and again in January.  For January and February this year, the number of property crimes was down by nearly 85 incidents in the city, good for a nearly 18% drop.  Reports of burglaries (12%), larcenies (17%) and grand theft auto (25%) were all down in the year-over-year comparison in the city.  Lt. Brandon Barclay, in his current role as acting captain of the SCV station, shared the latest crime update at last week’s Public Safety Committee meeting at Santa Clarita City Hall, with the Sheriff’s Department also stating there’s been no permanent change for the city’s top cop.  Diez is assisting with a staffing shortage in the North Patrol Division, according to a statement from LASD leadership. Diez has led the SCV Sheriff’s Station since March 2020.  Barclay confirmed he was notified of his new posting nearly two weeks ago, explaining it as a temporary spot created by a staffing need.  “Justin Diez is assisting North Patrol Division, while some staff are out,” wrote Nicole Nishida, communications manager for the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department, confirming that Barclay is the acting captain.  Barclay said he didn’t know if his temporary role would be for “days, weeks or months.”  In the past, the selection of the station’s full-time captain generally has been one the department makes in consultation with city leadership.  As the third-largest city and the largest without its own police force, the city of Santa Clarita has the largest contract for law enforcement services the LASD has in L.A. County. In 2024-25, the contract was approximately $34.5 million.  “The city of Santa Clarita has full confidence in the leadership of acting Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station captain, Brandon Barclay,” wrote City Manager Ken Striplin, in a statement sent Friday via text by Carrie Lujan, city communications manager. “He has worked closely with the city in his role of operations lieutenant and knows our community. We look forward to continuing to partner with him to keep our residents and businesses safe — and maintain our city’s reputation as one of the safest in the nation.”   The post LASD: Crime numbers down in latest report  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal. ...read more read less