San Jose reports sharp crime drop during first week of COVID-19 stay-at-home order

SAN JOSE — Reported crimes dropped significantly in the Bay Area’s largest city last week, in yet another sign of the dramatic ways that the coronavirus pandemic — and social distancing mandates aimed at stopping its spread — have changed life in the region and statewide.

Data from the San Jose Police Department, obtained by this news organization Monday, shows that in the week after six counties implemented a sweeping shelter-in-place order, violent crime in the city declined by 46%, falling from 101 reported cases to 56 cases in the week of March 15-21, compared to the same week the previous year. The county’s stay-at home order went into effect at 12 a.m. on March 17.

Reported property crimes were down as well, from 495 cases to 317 over the same period. The declines were seen across a range of reported categories, including aggravated assaults, robberies, burglaries and auto thefts.

The decline was not unexpected, officials said — with far fewer people out in the city, far fewer opportunities exist for serious crime to occur. Police and city leaders acknowledge that the numbers could mask upticks in under-reported crimes like domestic violence and sexual assault.

Nevertheless, San Jose Police Chief Eddie Garcia and San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo said they were heartened by the figures — not least because they suggest residents are taking the county’s shelter-in-place order seriously.

“I know we’re in the beginning of this,” Garcia said. “But the numbers could be worse given what people are going through. This city has not turned on itself.”

Liccardo added, “This demonstrates that our community is heeding the public health imperative of staying home. It tells us the community gets it about the safety risks.”

Other Bay Area cities that were able to provide figures Monday also saw declines in crime, though to varying degrees. In Santa Clara, where weekly incidents typically number in the single digits for most types of crime, saw those numbers fall below five cases in most categories during the first week of the shelter-in-place order. That included a sharp drop in reported larcenies compared to the same period in 2019, from 72 to four. A weekly crime report from Oakland showed a dip in violent crime compared to the year prior, from 91 reported incidents to 79, though property crimes ticked up 2%, from 167 incidents to 171. Palo Alto and Mountain View also showed modest declines in reported crimes during the first stay-at-home week.

The declines came as police departments across the region were suddenly tasked with enforcing the shelter-in-place orders, including making sure that all but essential businesses closed their doors, and that those who did venture out in public followed social distancing rules requiring them to stay six feet apart. In San Jose, after several days of encouraging “voluntary compliance” with the shelter-in-place restrictions, officials indicated Friday they would take a firmer hand in enforcing the new rules, including setting up a hotline for residents to report businesses that stay open in defiance of the statewide shutdown.

Still, with the shelter-in-place order expected to last at least three weeks — and possibly longer — Liccardo noted that its effects on people, and poorer residents in particular, “creates a whole new set of challenges” for the city.

“What I’m intensely concerned about is a pandemic that will have both severe health impacts as well as economic impacts on our most vulnerable residents,” he said.

Garcia said should that come to pass, his officers are prepared to maintain public safety, “taking on everything we’re throwing at them.” That includes the risk of being exposed to the new coronavirus while continuing to patrol the city.

“They’re answering the call. With everything we have to deal with right now, crime should not be one of those areas,” he said. “Let’s be happy the numbers are low now. It gives us hope that we’re going to get through this.”

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