Buena Park police report mostly lower crime trends

Buena Park police publicly presented year-to-date crime data at a City Council meeting July 14, saying most crime categories are trending lower while some offenses have risen, Voice of OC reported.

The presentation gave residents a rare public look at local crime patterns in an Orange County city where police receive about 42% of a general fund of more than $100 million for the 2026-27 fiscal year.

Interim Police Chief Bradley Geyer presented Part 1 crime statistics, response-time data and neighborhood-level trends after Councilwoman Joyce Ahn requested the report, according to Voice of OC.

"Overall, crime has been trending down, and that’s throughout the region, not just Buena Park. But not every crime is going down, but most crimes are on the downward trend, roughly 15 to 20% down year to year," Buena Park Interim Police Chief Bradley Geyer said at the meeting.

From January through the end of June, Buena Park recorded 637 reported larceny thefts, 88 stolen vehicles, 48 burglaries, 39 aggravated assaults, 34 robberies and 14 rapes, Voice of OC reported. During the same period in 2025, the city reported 623 larceny thefts, 125 stolen vehicles, 83 burglaries, 57 aggravated assaults, 20 robberies and 8 rapes.

Geyer said the city’s Part 1 crime rate is about 10 incidents per 1,000 residents so far this year and could reach about 20 per 1,000 residents by the end of the year, according to Voice of OC. District 3 had the most Part 1 crimes this year, with 240 incidents.

The department also reported that average response time for priority one calls fell by 20 seconds year over year, from three minutes, 42 seconds to three minutes, 20 seconds. Geyer said residents can view a crime map and some statistics on the department website.

Council members asked whether updates could become more regular and more accessible online. "I’m curious, Mr. City Manager, if there’s an opportunity to explore maybe even publicizing some of these stats – whatever can be publicized not to its full extent – so that maybe residents could go on a website and view these things, as opposed to having Chief come out and give these reports on a regular basis," Buena Park Councilman Carlos Franco asked.

Measure R, a 1% sales tax increase approved about two years ago, is expected to generate $20 million for hiring more police officers and addressing property crime, Voice of OC reported.