The Mission Police Department is touting their efforts in bringing down the city’s crime rate from last year.

The department reported a 6.3% drop in overall crime, which Mission police Chief Cesar Torres attributes to an expansion in their police presence.

The department recently hired five new patrol officers, and have plans to add more, Torres said.

“The key is to have more officers on the road so they can work as a deterrent to deter crime so that the crime can go somewhere else,” Torres said. 

The Mission Police Department is the largest it's ever been, with 175 officers.

The department acquired two additional sky watch towers to be placed in areas of high crime.

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