TL;DR:
San Diego County’s most common felony arrests in 2022 were for aggravated assault, larceny, and drug violations, while misdemeanors included alcohol-related offenses, drug possession, and assault. Most arrests involve property crimes, violence, or substance-related offenses. Bail Hotline provides 24/7 assistance to help individuals post bail and exit pre-trial holding.
At Bail Hotline, we’re dedicated to helping people accused of crimes exit pre-trial holding and get back to their normal lives by offering bail bond services.
As part of our mission, we want to help people better understand the overall nature of crime and arrests across California. After all, the best way to exit pre-trial holding is never to enter it in the first place.
Today, we’re taking a look at crime in the greater San Deigo area, with a focus on the San Deigo County laws that are most frequently broken.
Need help posting bail for yourself, a friend, or a family member? Bail Hotline is ready to assist you 24/7! Get in touch with our local San Diego office to learn more.
Common Reasons for Arrest in San Diego County
What are the local laws and California state laws that most frequently lead to arrests in San Diego County?
While full reporting on the level of individual laws isn’t available, there is detailed data about the reasons people are arrested in San Diego and its surrounding area. The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), a regional planning organization for the county, regularly publishes reports related to arrests in the region.
These reports are broken down into categories as opposed to specific laws broken. So, while we can’t easily see how often specific San Diego County gun laws or San Diego County knife laws are broken, for example, we can review data about weapons laws and criminal charges.
So, what are these categories? What types of offenses most commonly lead to arrests across San Diego County?
SANDAG separates arrests into two overarching groups: felonies and misdemeanors. Among felonies – more serious offenses that involve higher penalties, including prison sentences of longer than one year – the most common reasons for arrests are as follows.
Note that this data comes from SANDAG’s 2024 report on arrests in the region, which shares 2022 data as the most recent fully available information. With that said, let’s take a closer look.
Common Reasons for Felony Arrests in San Diego County
Among felonies that fall into a specific category, the most frequently broken group of San Diego County laws in 2022 was aggravated assault. Across the county, law enforcement completed 6,960 arrests for violations of those laws in that year. In the City of San Diego by itself, there were 2,527 aggravated assault arrests in 2022.
The Kann California Law Group offers an explanation of aggravated assault, noting that it includes elements such as a “clear intent to commit serious bodily injury.” This differs from standard assault in being more serious and violent.
The next most frequent felony crime category is larceny. In general, larceny is a crime based on the act of taking property or money from its rightful owner.
Larceny can be charged as a felony when the value of the items involved exceeds $950 or when certain items are stolen, such as a firearm or motor vehicle. There were 1,506 felony larceny arrests in San Diego County in 2022.
Burglary, which is often but not always connected to larceny, is generally defined as the act of unlawfully entering a building with the intent of committing a crime, often larceny, while inside that structure. Burglary accounted for an additional 1,091 felony arrests for violating San Deigo County laws in 2022.
The third-most frequent reason for a felony arrest in San Diego County in 2022 was drug law violations. Drug laws cover a wide range of activities, although felony drug arrests frequently involve the enterprise of drugs – making drugs or selling drugs, for example.
Common Reasons for Misdemeanor Arrests in San Diego County
Misdemeanor arrests are less serious than felony arrests in that they involve shorter sentences and less intense penalties should they end with a conviction. Misdemeanor convictions normally lead to sentences of a year or less and are sometimes served in local jails instead of state prisons.
The most frequent crime category for a misdemeanor arrest in San Diego County in 2022 was drunk and liquor laws, accounting for 5,739 arrests. This is a broad category that includes crimes such as public drunkenness, although driving under the influence (DUI) is a separate arrest category.
Drug law violations represent the second-most common reason for misdemeanor arrests in the region in 2022. Misdemeanor drug offenses differ from felony offenses in that they tend to involve possession of drugs or paraphernalia instead of selling or making drugs. There were 4,066 such arrests in San Diego County in 2022.
Misdemeanor manslaughter and assault and battery accounted for the third-most arrests in San Diego County in 2022, with 3,908 such arrests occurring. Misdemeanor manslaughter refers to unintentionally causing the death of another person while committing another misdemeanor offense, while battery and assault are the acts of threatening and causing harm, respectively.
Final Thoughts on Frequently Broken San Diego County Laws
It’s probably not surprising to see which types of offenses made it into the top three most common felony and misdemeanor arrests in San Diego County. While arrests and citations related to San Diego County rental laws, airsoft laws in San Diego County, and San Diego County dog bite laws do happen, for example, most offenses are related to property crimes, assault, and drugs and alcohol.
No matter what you, a friend, or a family member is arrested for, remember that you and they have rights. An arrest is not a conviction, and most people placed in pre-trial holding can exit it by posting bail or through other means.
Bail Hotline is here to help with posting bail and exiting pre-trial holding, helping people who are accused but innocent in the eyes of the law return to their normal lives. Reach out to our local San Diego office, open 24/7, to start the process!
