San Diego law enforcement officials are trying to keep up with a record amount of homicides in City and County limits.
San Diego County Sheriff's Officials (SDSO) says the number of homicides in 2016 is the highest rate they have seen in a decade. Friday's homicide in unincorporated El Cajon marked the 28th homicide in 2016 for the Sheriff’s Department.
San Diego Police Department (SDPD) officials say numbers are up for them as well. Within the City of San Diego, they have already surpassed the 37 homicides they saw in all of 2015, according to the department.
SDSO Sheriff William Gore addressed the high number of homicides and explained the big picture.
"It's been a tough, tough time for us but when you look around comparatively, crime is about at a 40-year low, so law enforcement is doing a lot of things right and the community working with law enforcement is what's making us really successful," explained Sheriff Gore.
SDPD Chief Shelly Zimmerman said while they are seeing record numbers, it's important to put the numbers in perspective.
"We do already have more homicides this year as we did last year so that is a concern. But the city of San Diego had the lowest homicide rate per capita the last two years of any major city," Zimmerman said.
Local
Both Chief Zimmerman and Sheriff Gore credit people from the community with helping put criminals in jail. They did so at a fundraising event to raise money for Crimestoppers rewards on Saturday.
Sheriff Gore added, "it's critical. We're so much better when we work with the community. We can't do it alone."
