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San Jose Homicide Rate Doubles From Last Year

SAN JOSE (KCBS) - There have already been 15 killings in San Jose this year, compared to 20 for all of 2010, according to police.

Although arrests have been made in all but one of those cases, Police Chief Chris Moore said he was nevertheless disturbed by the increase.

"We have had five gang-related homicides in the City of San Jose this year, which is of concern to me," Moore said.

KCBS' Mike Colgan Reports:

Moore noted that in March, the San Jose Police Department's Gang Task Force was merged with another violent crimes unit because of staffing cuts.

"We're trying to maintain the core service of patrol, but in order to do that you're pulling away from the detectives and the specialized units," he said.

San Jose had recorded just seven murders by April 2010. City officials frequently tout San Jose's reputation as the safest big city in America based on its rankings in national FBI crime statistics.

The most recent murder victim was 24-year-old Jeffrey Wong, strangled Tuesday inside Capri Home, a residential care home in the 1800 block of St. Andrews Place near Milpitas. Wong's roommate at the facility, 28-year-old Alex Nakayama, was arrested and charged with the murder.

(© 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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