For years, San Diego police have been touting falling crime rates alongside their efforts to become a more efficient agency. But now, after a few months of rising crime, police say they need more money or crime will spike.
It’s no small request from the cash-strapped city of San Diego. Police want an additional $66 million over the next five years to hire more officers and other staff, upgrade their equipment and repair facilities.
And to support the need for this expense, police have been citing a recent shift in violent crime (murders, rapes, robberies and assaults). Between January and May this year, police reported 12.6 percent more crimes than the same period the previous year.
“It’s starting to get away from us a little bit,” Police Chief Bill Lansdowne told a City Council committee Wednesday. “It’s my professional belief that the crime rate will continue to rise.”
While the department’s statistic accurately reflects its crime reports, the figure distorts broader crime trends in San Diego. In its push for more funding, police compared current crime levels against one of the most unusual periods in city history.