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DA: Violent crime rose in Santa Clara County in 2023; early 2024 data show declines in some categories
Summary
The county district attorney reported that violent crime — driven by aggravated assaults, domestic violence and crimes against children — increased in 2023, while early 2024 indicators and local police data suggest drops in several major categories and a corresponding decline in jail population.
Santa Clara County’s district attorney’s office told the Public Safety and Justice Committee on March 13 that violent crime rose in 2023 and that early indicators for 2024 show some declines in major categories.
Assistant District Attorney James Gibbon Shapiro summarized the county’s 2023 crime report, saying the largest increases were in aggravated assaults, domestic violence and crimes against children. Shapiro noted the county’s Children’s Advocacy Center recorded 58% more forensic medical exams for children in 2023 compared with prior reporting.
At the same time, Shapiro said preliminary data paint a different picture for 2024. The FBI’s early data for the first half of 2024 shows declines across major categories in a sample of 40 U.S. cities, and local San Jose Police Department data comparing the last nine months of 2023 with the last nine months of 2024 showed decreases in aggravated assault and other violent categories. Those declines corresponded with a drop in the jail population: county jail occupancy fell about 10.7% from December 2023 through early 2024, with daily population numbers cited at roughly 2,700–2,800 in March 2024 and near 2,710 when reported during the meeting.
Domestic violence remains a concern. Shapiro said reported domestic‑violence calls to law‑enforcement agencies have risen steadily since about 2013; the DA’s office reported about 7,313 domestic‑violence calls in 2023 and 7,618 in 2024, and warned the rise could reflect either more reporting, increased perpetration or both.
Supervisor Lee asked for an off‑agenda report detailing the crime strategies unit’s planned methods to identify priority firearms offenders and to target gun crimes; the district attorney’s office agreed to provide that detail.
Ending: The committee voted to receive the crime report; members asked for more detailed strategy information and noted the importance of continued monitoring of domestic‑violence trends and gang‑related retaliatory violence reported early in 2025.
