Violent crime and property crime in San Diego have dropped to a 35-year low throughout the county, though homicides have increased slightly, according to new data released Wednesday.
The rate of violent crime in 2014 dropped 6 percent from the previous year, according to the San Diego Association of Government’s annual regional crime report.
That trend, experts said, are partially the result of technology.
"Think about the people on the street corner who witness a crime occuring, call law enforcement right away, does that speed your response time...having the police there, being able to arrest somebody who would go on to commit more crimes, I think there are a lot of different reasons," said Dr. Cynthia Burke, SANDAG Criminal Justice Research Director, in a statement.
Most crime statistics fell from 2013 to 2014, the report found.
Some residents living in San Diego neighborhoods agreed with the findings.
"I think our neighborhood is safe, there's hardly any crime, I don't see police cars around every day, but if there is, they handle it...I think San Diego is safe," said Daisy Vega, a Carmel Mountain Ranch resident.
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She, like many people NBC 7 spoke to Wednesday, feels safe in her nieghborhood.
Despite the downward trending crime numbers, the number of homicides in San Diego County was up in 2014 from the previous year. Homicides increased from 70 to 74 in 2014, a six percent jump.
That increase, however, was the third lowest in the past 35 years. Most homicides were related to domestic violence, gang-related activity and an argument, according to the report.
The number of violent crimes against senior citizens in the county jumped six percent from the previous year. Reported domestic violence crimes dropped two percent from the previous year.
The 9.460 reported car thefts continued to decline to a new 35-year low. Burglaries also reached a new 35-year low, to 10,960 reported in 2014, a 22 percent decrease from the year before.
Twenty jurisdictions across the county reported an annual decrease in the number of reported larcenies and five reported an increase.
There were 10,583 violent crimes reported in 2014.
