Crime recorded in La Presa, and why it isn’t graded
La Presa has no police department of its own: it’s an unincorporated community (a census-designated place) in San Diego County. The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office reports to the FBI for the parts of the county without police of their own, so there are no figures for La Presa alone, and no Safety Grade. For a graded neighbor, the nearest is Lemon Grove (C), 2 miles away. There are 7 graded towns within 10 miles.
What stands out about safety in La Presa
Policed by the county
La Presa is a census-designated place, with no town government. Crimes there are reported to the FBI inside the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office’s totals for the county. County police ↓
Counts, not rates
The FBI doesn’t publish how many people the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office covers, so its totals can’t be turned into a per-resident rate or a grade for La Presa. County police ↓
The nearest graded towns
The closest California towns with their own police figures are Lemon Grove (C, 2 mi), La Mesa (C, 4 mi), Chula Vista (C, 6 mi). Nearby towns can differ a lot from La Presa. Nearest ↓
Written from the FBI data on this page. Figures are crimes reported to police, not convictions.
What the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office reports
Reports to the FBI for the parts of San Diego County without police of their own, which include La Presa.
Property crimes
Violent crimes
2025 offenses reported by the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office
Counts, not rates: the FBI doesn’t publish how many people each agency covers. FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, Tables 10–11.
Crimes reported to the FBI for the whole area the department covers, by year.
The nearest California towns with a Safety Grade
| Town | Grade | Distance | Violent | Property |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lemon Grove | C | 2 mi | 4.6 | 11.2 |
| La Mesa | C | 4 mi | 4.0 | 14.6 |
| Chula Vista | C | 6 mi | 3.6 | 11.5 |
| National City | D | 6 mi | 6.6 | 19.1 |
| El Cajon | C− | 7 mi | 4.5 | 14.1 |
| Coronado | C | 10 mi | 3.4 | 17.1 |
Straight-line distance from the center of La Presa. Nearby towns can differ a lot from La Presa.
Each town’s own police figures, per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
18 people died in crashes on La Presa’s roads in 2019–2023
La Presa had 18 fatal crashes in five years, in which 18 people died; 11 were pedestrians.
That is 10.3 deaths per 100,000 residents a year, above the median for California towns of 25,000–100,000 people (5.6, 231 towns).
Deaths are counted where the crash happened, not where the people lived: a highway through town adds through-traffic deaths, and residents’ own risk on roads elsewhere isn’t here. Town rates sit below state and U.S. rates because a third of fatal crashes happen outside any town. Road safety is described here and is not part of the Safety Grade. Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2019–2023.
La Presa and its neighbors
| Town | Grade | Violent | Property |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring Valley | — | — | — |
| San Diego | C− | 4.0 | 16.7 |
| Bonita | — | — | — |
| Lemon Grove | C | 4.6 | 11.2 |
Crimes reported to the FBI per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025. Spring Valley and Bonita are unincorporated communities (census-designated places) with no police department of their own.
How reported crime compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its safety page.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- It’s reported crime. Only incidents reported to and recorded by police appear here. Many crimes are never reported to police.
- A county agency covers a wide area. Its totals mix many communities, so they say little about any one of them.
- Gaps are real gaps. A missing year means the department didn’t report a full year, not that nothing happened.
How the grade is calculated, for every town: How TownRatings grades safety →
Questions about safety in La Presa
Is La Presa, CA safe?
There is no Safety Grade for La Presa. The nearest California towns with a grade are Lemon Grove (C, 2 mi), La Mesa (C, 4 mi), Chula Vista (C, 6 mi).
Who polices La Presa?
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office. La Presa is an unincorporated community, and the department reports to the FBI for the parts of San Diego County without police of their own.
Heads-up board
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
Please don’t name or describe individuals. In an emergency, call 911.
Neighbors looking out for each other in La Presa.
Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Crime Data Explorer: offenses known to law enforcement by city, and state and national rates. Counts are crimes reported to police, not convictions. The Safety Grade is our own summary of that data, not an official rating. Road deaths: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2019–2023. This isn’t an official statement of public safety. In an emergency, call 911.