San Jose Communities Concerned Over Surprising Homicide Rate Jump
SAN JOSE (KCBS) – San Jose's rising homicide rate was a subject of great concern at a community meeting this week, as the city is on track to have the most killings since the 1980s.
So far this year, San Jose has seen 25 homicides. Last year there were only 20 total, and at this rate there will be 58 murders by the end of this year.
The community group PACT held a meeting this week to ask the city to do more to crack down on crime. Jill Malone with PACT said that too often people are afraid to report criminal activity.
KCBS' Matt Bigler Reports:
"There are pockets of San Jose where criminals actually live in that area, so people are fearful of retaliation," said Malone.
She added that other minority residents are scared of being deported if they call police.
Police Chief Chris Moore, who attended the meeting, said that even with over 100 cops being laid off this year they are extending the time that officers patrol individual neighborhoods in order to help build relationships with the community.
"[Homicides] are a significant marker of the overall crime rate because it does parallel, in many ways, other violent crime," said City Councilman Ash Kalra.
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