Reed and Moore met earlier this morning with the Gang Prevention Task Force, which in July received $1 million in funds to suppress gang-related violence. Police said gang members were responsible for about 40 percent of this year’s murders.
Hours after the city recorded yet another murder, San Jose’s mayor and police chief this morning announced that the city and Santa Clara County would pool resources to increase the police presence on city streets, work with newly-freed convicts and expand efforts to discourage gang activity.
“We are standing in solidarity against this violence,” said Mayor Chuck Reed, flanked by city, county and school district officials in the rotunda of San Jose City Hall.
The news conference came about 10 hours after the city’s 33rd homicide this year. At 10:50 p.m. Thursday, 18-year-old Armondo Miguel Heredia was killed on South King Road in what police said was likely a gang-related shooting.
The shooting was San Jose’s eighth violent death in the past 11 days. The city had 39 homicides in all of 2011.
“We are looking for every opportunity to maximize officers on the street,” police Chief Chris Moore said. “I am very confident we can bring this spike to an end.”
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