SANTA CRUZ, Calif. -- Santa Cruz County residents and law enforcement officials met Tuesday to discuss ways to crack down on crime following a recent spike in violence.

Officials said 2006 was the deadliest year in the county in the past 20 years.

About 70 people met at Santa Cruz Neighborhood Church to look for answers. The meeting was the third of five planned gatherings.

Statistics show there were 17 killings last year, including a mother and unborn child. The district attorney has charged 15 suspects in connection with 10 of the deaths.

One of the killings was ruled a justifiable homicide. Six killings remain under investigation.

Neighbors at the meeting spoke out against a number of crimes, ranging from escalating gang violence to drunken people wandering around their neighborhood.

Santa Cruz Police Department is planning to hold another such neighborhood meeting next month.