Downtown patrol boosted after multiple homicides
SAN JOSE >> After three startling homicides occurred within a few days of each other downtown — a double-fatal shooting near San Jose State University and a deadly stabbing near City Hall — police have boosted their downtown presence to offer a visible response to the violence.
The San Jose Police Department added 12 patrol units to drive and walk around the downtown area this week and will keep that at least through the weekend, according to police officials.
“When we have those incidents in proximity, geography and time wise, we know people can be on edge,” Police Chief Eddie Garcia said. “We needed to do something more for our residents.”
On Sept. 15, a driveby shooting near Eighth and Reed streets a couple of blocks off San Jose State killed two men and wounded four other people, all of whom were at or near a vigil for a man who died the previous night in a collision on Highway 101 in San Jose. Law enforcement sources have said gang rivalry is being investigated as a possible motive in the attack, for which no arrests or potential suspects have been announced.
On Sept. 21, a man was stabbed to death on East Santa Clara Street near Sixth Street, just a stone’s throw away from City Hall.
Police say there is no connection between the killings, which brought the city’s 2020 homicide total to 29, and that while investigators continue searching for suspects, none appears to have been random attacks.
They occurred as crime numbers are down almost across the board compared with the same point last year, no doubt affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and shelterin- place orders that have sha r ply decrea sed the number of people out and about in the city.
The notion of an increased patrol presence was welcome news to Rob Peña, a downtown resident for the past 30 years who said he has grown hardened to news of violent incidents near his home, which is between both of the recent homicide scenes.
“You kind of get immune to it; it doesn’t shock you anymore,” he said, adding that because of safety concerns, he increasingly uses ride-sharing cars at night to travel distances that used to be a 15-minute walk.
The downtown personnel boost has allocated between three and five additional officers to the current shift roster of 10 each for the day shift and swing shift, meaning that 15%20% more officers will be on hand depending on the level of activity downtown.
Through the end of August — the latest complete figures available — violent crime has dipped 7%, led by a 13% fall in reported robberies. Aggravated assaults are down 2.6%.
Property crimes have fallen 5.3% in the same period, highlighted by an 11% dip in larceny cases, though auto theft reports have increased by 7.2%, the only major crime category to see a rise in this sampling.
“Our men and woman have not changed their work in g habit s sinc e COVID,” Garcia said. “It’s important for officers to be out in their neighborhoods, being visible and being a deterrent for crime.”
Peña said he hopes the added patrols result in the sight of more officers out of their cars and casually engaging residents and business owners, rather than driving by.
“I definitely wish there were more of them out there walking around,” he said, “and being more present.”
Mayor Sam Liccardo echoed the sentiment, crediting stabilized police staffing following very lean years from the past decade.
“Many downtown residents and small businesses will welcome increased visibility of officers on foot patrol,” he said. “We finally have arrived at a moment where can get more officers out of their cars and on the sidewalks.”
Mezcal owner Adolfo Gomez, who has worked in the downtown restaurant scene for a quarter century, said the increased police presence could potentially help businesses like his given that he’s serving customers entirely in outdoor settings.
“We can’t have people worried about sitting at a table,” Gomez said. “The hardest thing to change is making people feel comfortable. We need to make people feel safe.”
But he added there has to be balance between having more police visible and and driving people away: “We can’t be overdoing it, and make people think that now things are really bad.”