◆ SpookStack

¢ ZPA.WENT OF JUSTICE _ . i ee of Attorney General tess EDMUND G. BROWN - : 3tate Building, San Francisco Pat-Frayne MEMORANDUM TO THE PReSS : FOR, RELEASE: JULY 16, 1958 The number of major criminal matters handled by law enforce- ment agencies and courts in California rose 12.8% during 1957; Attorney General Edmund g. Brown reported today in a summary entitled "Crime in California, 1957." "The data, compiled by the Bureau of Criminal Statistics in my Department, are the result of the best criminal reporting system in the country. It is a compilation in which dedicated civil servants of the State Department of Justice and local police agencies in California are working together as equal partners. "a large part of the statistical increase in crime is due to better reporting, better procedures for obtaining data, and better law enforcement methods. "But beyond those factors, there is still an underlying increase in unlawful conduct in our communities. That increase 4s one of the disturbing symptoms of our times poth in California and across the nation. “Bor that problem, the blame can no more be put on law enforcement officials, sheriffs, and district attorneys than placing blame for a rising divorce rate," Brown said. Comparison of the California situation with that reported by the FBI for the entire country, shows that while police and criminal court work in California rose 10 to 13% faster than the State's population increase, crime last year rose four times faster than the population increase for the nation as a whole. Tne information on California's crime trends was based on ‘four separate series of data: 1. Seven major felony offenses; 2, The number of adults arrested and booked on all felony charges; 3. The number of adults arrested who have appeared in court on felony complaints; oo