City With Highest Murder Rate in Nation in ’90s Reports Zero Murders in 2023

A police officer in a file photo in California. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

Once called the murder capital of the United States for having the highest number of murders per capita in the nation, the City of East Palo Alto had zero homicides in 2023.

In 1992, the Bay Area city had roughly 25,000 residents and 39 reported homicides, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Crime Data Explorer.

The ratio of residents to homicides made East Palo Alto the city with the highest murder rate in the nation at the time.

However, the following year in 1993, the city’s number of homicides dropped to four, and it has maintained relatively low numbers since then.

“Together, we celebrate a momentous milestone in 2023: the East Palo Alto community, once marked by adversity, has triumphed with zero murders this past year,” East Palo Alto Police Chief Jeff Liu said in a Jan. 1 letter to the community, posted on the department’s website.

Mr. Liu credited the improvement to the community.

“Your collective commitment to safety and unity has transformed our city, evolving from the challenges of 1992 ... to now, a community that stands resilient and stronger than ever,” he said.

Antonio Lopez, the mayor of East Palo Alto, said “astute decision-making” on the part of city officials also contributed to the drop in homicides.

The city council voted to hire more police officers in 2022 after cutting back over the previous two years due to the pandemic. It also voted to increase police officers’ pay and budget in 2023, according to Mr. Lopez.

“In 2023, the Council voted to increase police pay and budget after the city endured significant staff turnover,” Mr. Lopez said in a statement. “Together, we will usher a safer, more prosperous East Palo Alto.”