In San Jose – the Bay Area's largest city – the low homicide trend continued in 2023.
San Jose registered 36 homicides last year, setting it apart from the region's two other big cities. Oakland finished the year with 126 homicides and San Francisco recorded 53.
San Jose had 35 homicides in 2022 and 31 in 2021.
"The statistics speak for themselves," law enforcement analyst Michael Leininger said. "You can’t create those numbers, whether they're low or high."
Leininger retired from the force after almost three decades. He credits the fact that the homicide unit virtually solves every murder for the low homicide rate in a large city of almost 1 million people.
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