Crime rates in Arvin are steadily declining as the police department shifts focus to aggressive prevention tactics, turning crime deterrence into a top priority.
According to a recently released Kern County Grand Jury report, numbers for domestic violence, DUIs and traffic stops in Arvin are all declining.
Robert Nevarez, a police consultant for Arvin Police Department, said people are becoming more aware when they're driving through the city.
"They're thinking about rolling a stop sign, or, you know, they see a yellow light, they accelerate. When they see a police officer there one time, the next time they're going through that intersection, they remember that there was a cop there and it minimizes a person's anonymity because they think there's a chance they might get caught. And so they're less likely to do that thing," Nevarez said.
Officers are now proactively cruising through neighborhoods with a history of crime, boosting their visible presence and deterrence. In 2022, Arvin logged 51 calls related to firearm crimes. By 2024, that number dropped to just 29 — an impressive decline that shows real progress in making Arvin safer.
"Driving into areas where crime is happening, it helps to disrupt crime because those that are responsible, they're looking around. They're thinking, okay, is there a likelihood that I'm going to get caught here? And when they see police officers in that area, it discourages that crime. It breaks up that crime. It removes the anonymity," Nevarez said.
Domestic violence reports are also dropping. In 2022, the department handled 45 calls. But from January 1 to July 31, 2024, that number plunged to just 18.
Kayla Pinkston is the program director at the Kern County Family Justice Center. They have two locations, one in Bakersfield and one in Lamont, and said they're glad survivors are reaching out to them.
"We're very thankful to have the centers that we have, the ability to provide a safe and accessible center has been wonderful for our community and the victims and our community and we're really happy to see the victims coming in and getting these services," Pinkston said.
But while the latest crime numbers are encouraging, police here know they need to keep working to gain the community's trust.
"At Arvin PD building trust with a community. And that's huge because when people trust their police officers, they're more likely to report crime. They're more likely to stand up and be witnesses against crime. All of that makes an impact," Nevarez said.
The goal is to keep crime on a downward trend. That's why police say, if you see something, say something. The department is waiting to get data from 2025 to see if crime continues to go down.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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