Sheriff credits community support and new tech for 53% homicide drop in Escambia County

In a year where many communities are seeing violence rise, Escambia County is moving in the opposite direction. So far this year, 15 homicides have been reported. That's down from the 32 cases last year. Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons says many cases tie back to drug activity or domestic violence, two issues Simmons says his office is trying to tackle. He adds -- support from the community also helped lower the numbers. Sheriff Simmons says the number of calls into the dispatch center is slightly up this year-- which he says is due to the increasing population.