Besides quality education, another big draw to the Los Altos area is the lack of crime. It may be unfair to compare, but where large urban cities like Oakland rack up well over 100 homicides in a single year, Los Altos hasn’t had such a crime in a dozen years. “Knock on wood,” said police spokesman Sgt. John Hughmanick.

Still, Hughmanick sees some troubling trends in lesser crimes. Total burglaries for 2001-02 were 55, but the number was up to 83 in 2003-04. Auto thefts are up. “There’s more reporting of elder fraud now,” he said.

Domestic violence cases increased from 27 in 2002 to 35 in 2004. Arrests for driving under the influence have increased dramatically, from 104 in 2002 to 176 in 2004. Hughmanick was at a loss to explain the increase.

While he’s concerned about the recent “emboldened, aggressive” prowler break-ins in Los Altos, Mountain View and Palo Alto, Hughmanick still classified Los Altos as “a pretty safe place to live.

“Part of it’s demographics, the socio-economic basis,” he said. “People here are more prone to contact the police - when things don’t look right, they’re quick to call.”

He added police have been aggressive in following up on calls or checking out situations that other departments might overlook.