Study Shows Sharp Decline in East Palo Alto Crime
EAST PALO ALTO (KCBS) - A new study shows that East Palo Alto's crime rate has dropped significantly in less than two decades.
The Center for Criminal Justice at UC Berkeley's School of Law conducted the study of crime in East Palo Alto over the last 25 years and found a serious drop in murders, among other crimes.
In 1992 East Palo Alto was referred to as the murder capital of the world, with 42 homicides among a population of 24,000 people. Berkeley researcher Sara Lawrence said her independent analysis shows a huge change since then.
KCBS' Betsy Gebhart Reports:
"The biggest finding we found is the dramatic drop in that community over the last 22 years, upwards of a 62 percent drop in crime, which is a remarkable decrease," said Lawrence.
In 2008 there were only five murders, and the city's population had grown to 33,000.
Lawrence, along with Police Chief Ron Davis, credits police work with at-risk youth and a re-entry program, in which officer's work with parolees to help them find jobs, for the decline in crime.
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