SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Police Officers Association says it is "raising a red flag," calling attention to a significant uptick in the number of homicides in San Diego city parks over this past year.
There have been twelve homicides in San Diego's public spaces over the past twelve months, according to police records.
Police officers are now calling out city leadership to do more to increase police patrols to help combat this trend.
"We have had enough.," said Sgt. Jared Wilson, president of the SDPOA. "Our community can not withstand this level of violence."
Last Friday, a 31 year old man was attacked and killed at Teralta park in City Heights, and police are still searching for his killer.
His death marks the twelfth homicide in a San Diego city park over the past twelve months: homicides which span from Sabre Springs, to Ocean Beach, Grant Hill, Chollas Creek, Emerald Hills, Golden Hill, Chicano Park and Otay Mesa.
By comparison, in 2019 there were two homicides in city parks.
"Our parks have been turned into killing fields by violent actors," Wilson said, "and we cannot let that happen."
Wilson added that there are more than 190 officers have left the department since July of last year, adding that critically low staffing for patrol operations have led to increased response times to incidents.
"When it takes us two hours to get there, we're not intervening before a violent act occurs," Wilson told CBS 8. "We need to get back to community policing, we need to get foot patrols back in parks, we need to get more officers on the streets.."
Wilson is calling directly on the city's' Public Safety & Livable Neighborhoods Committee, which has jurisdiction over San Diego's police and parks -- and specifically its leader, Council member Monica Montgomery Steppe, to address this rise in violence.
He said that, instead, Montgomery Steppe is pushing to curtail police powers.
"Their priority needs to be protecting our citizens," he said, "and we need to stop this level of violence."
Councilwoman Montgomery Steppe issued a statement in response, saying in part that wealthier communities have lower crime rates, adding "inequality perpetuates violence. Poverty perpetuates violence. Disinvestment perpetuates violence. There is a pattern of disregard for communities south of the 8, which has undoubtedly contributed to the cycle of violence in our communities."
"These murders are occurring all over our city, not just in underrepresented communities," Wilson said in response. "All San Diegans are affected, all San Diegans are hurting, all San Diegans are scared."
Council member Montgomery Steppe will be addressing these concerns Wednesday morning when she hosts a media briefing.
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