Vallejo: Summer rise in crime and police shortages worry residents

It has been a violent summer in Vallejo as residents and business owners worry about safety, gun violence and crime.

In early August, the number of murders in the city rose to 15. At the same time, the Vallejo Police Department is short-staffed and currently has no permanent police chief.

Elizabeth Gomez opened Hair Day Beauty Salon after saving for years, but the story of an armed robbery still haunts her. She says someone demanded cash at gunpoint and then sprayed her with pepper spray.

“My eyes were so itchy. I was scared,” Gomez said.

She says she called Vallejo police, who responded after about 20 minutes of waiting. But a recent break-in at her home while she was at home was even more shocking.

“The guy was crazy and in my house,” Gomez said.

She ran outside and called 911 because she feared for her life. Gomez said waiting for police to respond to confront the unknown intruder took too long.

“The police never come quickly,” Gomez said.

According to Vallejo Police, only 73 of Vallejo's 137 sworn officer positions are currently filled. Like many other departments in the Bay Area and across the country, the VPD is suffering from a severe staffing shortage.

The agency did not respond to CBS News Bay Area's requests for on-camera interviews.

“Every night there are shots, there are shots fired,” said local resident Ann Truex.

She doesn't call the police when shots are fired, but that doesn't mean she isn't afraid.

“I don't feel safe. When I hear all this, I lie down on the ground,” Truex said.

The Vallejo Police Department is under close scrutiny by the California Attorney General, and in April it agreed with the Department of Justice on a number of measures to promote public safety and reduce unlawful use of force, to name a few.

For residents like Truex, waiting for meaningful change is difficult.

“Those of us who don't know about this are in for a really big surprise, I think. I'm scared out here right now,” Truex said.