East Palo Alto police chief says zero murders reported in 2023 - 'A momentous milestone'
EAST PALO ALTO – Police in East Palo Alto announced on New Year's Day that the community had zero murders reported in 2023, a far cry from the early 1990s when the city was dubbed the nation's "murder capital."
"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," Chief Jeff Liu said in a statement Monday.
The Peninsula community had gained a reputation for high rates of violent crime in the 1980s and 1990s, at a time when the city struggled on multiple fronts, including revenue issues, the crack epidemic, along with police corruption and misconduct.
In 1992, 42 homicides were reported in the city of 24,000 people, the most murders per capita in the U.S. that year.
"Your collective commitment to safety and unity has transformed our city, evolving from the challenges of 1992 when we faced 42 murders, to now, a community that stands resilient and stronger than ever," Liu went on to say.
Liu grew up in Palo Alto and remembers exactly what his parents used to say about East Palo Alto.
"My parents always told me don't go to East Palo Alto and this was like the 80's, early 90's. Don't go to East Palo Alto it's very dangerous. Stay out of East Palo Alto," he said.
Over the past three decades, the community has undergone a major transformation, with changes in leadership and policing. At the same time, the area near University Avenue and Highway 101 that was once known as "Whiskey Gulch" has also been extensively redeveloped, with a Four Seasons hotel and a large shopping center.
Chief Liu says even now, more than 30 years later, it's still hard to shake the town's old reputation.
"Like even when I'm in different areas of the state, you know you say, 'I work in East Palo Alto.' And people say 'Oh!' Because they think it's dangerous," said Chief Liu.
According to county officials, violent crime in East Palo Alto had dropped 60% from 1990s levels by 2017, with only one murder reported in the city that year.
Liu became chief in 2023, making the milestone of zero homicides even sweeter for him and East Palo Alto.
"After so many years of carrying that label around, to reach zero murders for the 2023 year, that's just the hugest community accomplishment possible," said Liu.
He credits the entire community for the success, saying everyone from local churches, to after school programs, to community leaders chipped in to create a safe and welcoming culture in the city.
"Everyone's been working through this or working towards this for so many years. That's why I say it's a community celebration right now," said Chief Liu.
It's a trend the chief is hopefully will continue long into the future.. but one he says he's prepared to handle either way.
"I know we reached a milestone and it's an amazing thing, but we can't rest. We have to keep working and keep finding new ways of doing things," said Chief Liu.
Kelsi Thorud contributed to this report.
