Salinas PD will bring back violence suppression unit

The Salinas Police Department is bringing back its Violence Suppression Unit. The department announced Monday that the unit, which was disbanded in 2015 due to budget issues, will gather intelligence, coordinate and conduct counter-violence operations and support detectives in their investigations. Police say the unit will be operational by early September.

PREVIOUS STORY: After another weekend of violence in Salinas, homicide investigators say witnesses need to come forward to help them solve the crimes. Without help from the community, they say, there isn’t much information to work with.

Tonight at 5 and 6 p.m., KION’s Brandon Castillo talks to investigators and Salinas residents about the city’s 25th and 26th homicides of 2016.