It might surprise you to hear that, overall, larger, urban counties in California have had lower arrest rates, in recent years, compared to rural counties. But Nevada County is bucking the trend, according to the Public Policy Institute. Research Associate, Justin Goss, says we had the 15th lowest rate in 2016, among the 58 counties, with three-thousand-five-hundred-fifteen arrests per 100-thousand residents. That’s the lowest since 1980, when numbers were first tracked. Goss says although the Institute has just begun to research the reasons, the county’s aging population is a likely factor…

Looking at felony arrests in Nevada County, numbers dropped to 196 per 100-thousand for violent offenses, 126 for property crimes, and 109 for drug offenses. Goss says Proposition 47 is also a likely factor…

Other factors the Institute is studying include demographics, poverty, fiscal conditions, jail capacity, law enforcement staffing, and policing. The three highest arrest rates were in rural North State counties: Lake, Siskiyou, and Shasta Counties. The lowest rate was in Riverside County, followed by Santa Clara and San Francisco Counties.