Most jurisdictions struggle with rising crime in times of economic crisis. In Mariposa County, however, law enforcement has been spared significant spikes in criminal activity, and in fact has seen a downward spiral in crime since 2001.

Although his 2009 statistics won’t be available until next week, Mariposa County Sheriff Brian Muller believes the numbers will be very similar to 2008. As such, many categories of crime have fallen significantly since 2001.

Muller said there are no changes to the local crime rate that suprise or shock him. In fact, he has been pleasantly surprised that Mariposa County has been able to ward off out- side influences such as gang activity for so long. “I’m thankful,” he said, noting that infiltration of such problems has been anticipated for years but has never materialized. “It still hasn’t happened,” he said.

The numbers of crimes in specific categories have fallen for every major group except drunk driving. In 2001, there were just 17 arrests for DUI, and in 2008 there were 57. That number, however, was down by 29 percent from 2007.

The largest drop in crime was in the assault and battery category. Reports have fallen a full 54 percent from 2001 to 2008. In 2001 and the following year, there were 284 reports of assault. In 2008, there were 131.

Both burglary and theft reports fell 49 percent in the eight-year reporting period. Burglary was at a high of 192 reports in 2001. In 2008, that number had fallen to 97. Theft also spiked to 338 in 2001. Last year, it was down to 172 reports.

Crimes against children fell by 45 percent. There were 51 reports in 2001, and that number jumped to 66 in 2004. By 2008, however, there were just 28.

Domestic violence reports have fallen steadily, ending at 32 percent fewer than in 2001. Reports of domestic violence spiked in 2004 at 228. In 2008, the same type of reports had dropped to 140.

Muller expects things to stay about the same for 2009 once the numbers are crunched. “It will likely be very similar to last year,” he said, noting that crime hasn’t changed much in Mariposa County during his 30 years on the force.

“We’re still dealing with the same types of crimes,” Muller said, saying that drugs and alcohol often play a part in the criminal behavior that