CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Charlotte has had 45 homicides so far this year, which is a big drop from the 71 the city had at the same time last year. The number is also a lot lower than other cities of similar size.

While the low number of slayings is in part due to Charlotte-Mecklenburg’s police force, it’s also due to its doctors.

“We know that violence is a disease, and like any disease, we know there are causes and there are treatments for it,” said Dr. David Jacobs, Carolinas Medical Center Trauma associate medical director.

Every day in Charlotte, trauma doctors are on the front lines of that treatment.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police homicide Sgt. Ricky Robbins said that in addition to proactive police work, trauma teams are an important factor in keeping the city's homicide rates low.

“Without the trauma center and without the help of other local hospitals, we'd be working day and night,” he said.

When Eyewitness News checked cities similar in population to Charlotte, it found in 2008 that there were 234 homicides in Baltimore, 138 in Memphis, and 83 in Charlotte.

Jacobs said the life-saving work begins long before the patients are even rolled through the emergency room doors. First responders stabilize victims and pass along critical information.

“We have some idea of what’s coming in so we know what we need. We can alert the operating room, we can alert the blood bank -- all those kind of things that are in place once the patient gets here,” he said.

At Presbyterian Hospital, trauma program manager Paige Eury said they also have the task of being ready for the unexpected.

“I know that last year we had a young man that was shot. He was brought by private car and he had shattered his upper leg, his femur, with a gunshot wound, and we had to work really, really quickly. I mean, literally, he was bleeding to death,” she said.

But their work goes beyond the bedside. Both Presbyterian and CMC have nurses specially trained to collect forensic evidence from victims to give to investigators. In addition, trauma teams gather detailed information on every crime victim they treat.

“We can tell you on the violent crime, what weapons were used, what the perpetrator looked like, what the victims looked like. We can tell you even in what zip code most of these crimes happen. Do they happen at night or day, weekend or weekdays,” Eury said.

The data goes into the state's trauma database, where it's used by local law enforcement agencies.

“It’s real important because it tells us what kinds of weapons are in the neighborhoods and what neighborhoods they are in, and it tells the officers what they need to be on the lookout for,” Robbins said.

That way, officers are able to target their resources and fight back to prevent violent crimes from happening in the future.

“We regard it as a community service really, and to have that impact is really gratifying. It’s really what gets you up in the morning,” said Dr. Ike Bhasin, a Presbyterian trauma surgeon.

Right now, Carolinas Medical Center is the only designated Level 1 trauma center in the city, and one of only five in the state. Presbyterian Hospital has applied with the state and hopes to get the same trauma designation as early as next spring.