US Cities Crime Rates and Murder Rates, Gangs, Cities Populations, and more.

Unemployment and the United States Homicide Rate

2011-12-20T10:20:00.000-08:00

Unemployment and the United States Homicide Rate

High levels of violence have impacted the entire world over the last century. As a matter of fact, all you have to do is turn on the daily news and you can watch at least one or two stories about someone being murdered or shot everyday.

Were most of the perpetrators' unemployed or did they plan to shoot or kill someone because they were already premeditating an act of violence? There were many jobs created during the Industrial Revolution in the United States and many immigrants fought for their jobs. During the time immigrants were fighting for jobs back in the 1800s and early 1900s there were groups of young men called "gangsters" who formed organized crime units and their main job was extortion, murder, organizing gangs, prostitution, gambling, and running bootleg liquor.

Did these individuals rob banks and kill people because they did not have a job or because they were already thinking violently? If you are taught violence on a regular basis then your kids will model violent behavior. Millions of people immigrated to the United States in search of a better life. One can almost understand why the immigrants fought and killed for control of the job market back in the 1800s and 1900s as displayed in the movie Gangs of New York. What is the excuse now?

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics from 1991-2010 the annual unemployment rate increased from 6.8 percent to 9.6 percent. The FBI Uniform Crime Reports shows during the period from 1991-2010 that the homicide rate per 100,000 people dropped from 9.8 to 4.8 nationwide -- leading one to believe that violence is all about the way people think and not totally connected to high unemployment. Several murderers would have murdered someone if they were working or not. The unemployment rates and homicide rates are subject to change in some inner city communities by ethnicity and levels of poverty.

However, if young men and women are taught violence and create a system where violence is the norm then you will always have high levels of violence in some communities no matter how many jobs you create.

We as a nation should take a closer look at treating violence as a public health issue and invest the necessary resources to work on changing behaviors regarding violent thinking. People need help with working out everyday situations that can lead to violence. Everybody needs a positive outlet to help them channel all of their negative energy in order to get past old habits that lead to acts of violence over the pettiest issues.
We can hire everybody in the world but if we fail to change the way people think about violence then violence will continue to spread like an infectious disease. It takes an entire village to raise one child without teaching them violence.

Youngstown Ohio crime drops during first 3 quarters of 2011.

2011-12-20T10:16:00.000-08:00

Violent crime drops in city

Violent crime drops in city

Statistics through 3 quarters, however, show more burglaries

YOUNGSTOWN

Youngstown mirrors the rest of the state with a drop in the most-violent crime category for the first three quarters of 2011, but the city has seen an increase in burglaries.

The city has compiled crime statistics for the first three quarters this year. The Federal Bureau of Investigation also has released 2011 crime statistics for other major cities in the state, but those figures show statistics for only the first two quarters.

The city has seen a reduction across the board for violent crimes such as homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault from January through September.

City records show that from January through September there were five more homicides in 2010 than in 2011, 11 more rapes reported, 19 more reported robberies, and 55 more aggravated assaults reported.
Homicides were down for the first nine months, but that figure has changed with the city showing 23 homicides at the end of November compared with 19 homicides through November 2010.

According to figures released by the FBI, occurrences of violent crimes dropped across the state. The FBI tracks and records data from six major cities in Ohio — Akron, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton and Toledo.

Each city listed in the FBI report saw a reduction in overall violent crime. The report, however, does show small variations in some individual categories such as Dayton, which saw one additional homicide in the first half of 2011 as compared to 2010, and Toledo, Dayton, Cleveland and Akron, which each saw an increase in the number of reported rapes between 2010 and 2011.

The FBI report went on to say the occurrence of all four offense types in the violent-crime category decreased nationwide — homicide was down 5.7 percent, rape dropped 5.1 percent, robbery fell 7.7 percent, and aggravated assault declined 5.9 percent. The report shows the region of the country did not matter with decreases in the Northeast, Midwest, South and West.

The FBI report also shows that like violent crime, all offense types in the national property-crime category showed decreases — burglary is down 2.2 percent, larceny-theft down 4 percent, and motor vehicle theft down 5 percent. Like violent crime, these declines occurred in all four regions of the country.

Youngstown also saw declines in most property crime, but the city saw an increase in reported burglaries. There were 1,440 reported burglaries in the first nine months of 2010 compared with 1,538 reported burglaries for the same time frame this year.

Detroit neighborhood records 4 homicides in less than 24 hours.

2011-12-20T10:13:00.000-08:00

Detroit Double Homicides: 2 Men Found Shot In Home, 2 Women Found Dead In Car On East Side

The discovery of two double homicides in less than 24 hours has rocked a Detroit neighborhood. Two women were found dead in the trunk of a car Monday afternoon on the city's east side, and two men were found dead in a nearby house late Monday night.

Responding to reports of gunshots, police showed up around midnight Tuesday to find two men dead in a home on Houston-Whittier Street on the city's east side, the Detroit Free Press reports.

According to WDIV-TV, police have yet to make any arrests and are still working on identifying the victims.

The men's bodies were found about eight blocks away from the 14400 block of Promenade, where two women were found dead in the trunk of a car on Monday afternoon.

The two women, Renesha Landers, 23, and Denesha Hunt, 24, were cousins. They were reported missing by relatives after they were last seen going to a party Saturday night, WDIV-TV reports.

A neighbor reported the vehicle, a Chrysler 300 that matched a description of the vehicle the women were driving, to police after seeing it parked next to a vacant house on the block, the Free Press reports.

Autopsies for the women are scheduled for Tuesday.

There was no immediate indication the deaths were related.

While violent crime has decreased overall, Detroit's murder rate has increased already this year, according to

FBI statistics released Monday. The city saw 173 homicides in the first six months of 2011.

Puerto Rico hits 1,100 homicides as of December 19th.

2011-12-20T07:02:00.000-08:00

Puerto Rico hits 1,100 homicides for the year so far

San Juan – The number of violent deaths registered since Jan. 1 in Puerto Rico has hit 1,100, making 2011 the bloodiest year in the island's history.

One of the latest victims in the crime wave linked to the surge in drug trafficking was 4-year-old Jomar Rivera Rodriguez, who died from a gunshot wound to the head in an incident where his stepfather, Kenneth Rivera Fontanez, 21 - who was also killed - was apparently the target.

The boy and his stepfather, who was identified by the media as a drug dealer in the San Juan neighborhood of Rio Piedras, were playing in a park then they were shot.

In addition, over the weekend, a couple were shot to death while they were together with their three children, who were unharmed, driving in an automobile on one of the capital's main streets.

The vehicle was machine-gunned, something that is becoming a more frequent occurrence in the metropolitan area.

A war of sorts is raging on the streets of the U.S. commonwealth as drug gangs vie for control of drug sales points. Experts say that in recent years the island has become a key cocaine shipment route from South America to the U.S. mainland.

This month, the newspaper El Nuevo Dia published a report in which it warned that Puerto Rico is showing some of the characteristics of what U.N. agencies call "narco-states," although that contention has been denied by the government.

An economist consulted by the daily estimated that the illegal drug business on the island totals $9 billion per year, or around 20 percent of the island's economic output.

Detroit 2011 murder rate up, crime down. 327 slayings as of December 11th, compared to 292 at the same time last year.

2011-12-20T06:56:00.000-08:00

FBI: Detroit crime down, slayings up

Violent crime overall was down in Detroit during the first six months of the year compared with the same time period in 2010, but murders increased, according to FBI crime data released Monday.

The FBI's preliminary statistics show that through June, 173 homicides occurred in Detroit compared with 151 during the same time last year.

As the year comes to a close, murders are still up.

The Detroit Police Department reports that through Dec. 11, 327 homicides have occurred, up about 12% from the same period in 2010, when there had been 292.

Overall, however, the number of violent crimes reported dropped in the first half of the year to 6,198 from 8,133 during the same time in 2010, according to the FBI data.

FBI statistics for the first half of the year show the number of reported forcible rapes dropped to 177 this year, compared with 200 in the same time period in 2010; robberies dipped to 1,760 from 2,541 in 2010, and aggravated assaults fell to 4,088 from 5,241 in 2010.

The FBI also reports fewer property crimes, burglaries, larcenies and motor vehicle thefts in Detroit during the first half of this year compared with the same time period in 2010.

Flint -- which was the most violent city per capita in 2010, according to FBI statistics, also had a decrease in violent and property crimes during the first half of this year, according to the FBI.

The number of murders in Flint dropped during the first half of the year to 22 from 27 in 2010, and violent crimes were down to 909 from 1,123 last year, the FBI said.

Mission accomplished, really: US war in Iraq officially ends

2011-12-15T09:42:00.000-08:00

Mission accomplished, really: US war in Iraq officially ends

Some 4,000 US forces will be exiting Iraq in the coming days. 'Iraq will be tested in days ahead,' warned Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, at an end-of-mission ceremony Thursday.

The Pentagon’s top officials flew into Iraq Thursday to mark the end of the American war here.

Eight years in coming, a ceremony Tuesday marked the conclusion of an American military mission that was alternately labeled a breeze, a mistake, a civil war, and a quagmire.

It has been a war whose “outcome was never certain, especially in the war’s darkest days,” said Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, who flew to Baghdad to preside over the ceremony.

Wounds of Iraq war: US struggles with surge of returning veterans

Today, “after a great deal of blood spilled by the Iraqis and the Americans, the mission of an Iraq that could govern and secure itself has become real,” he added.

The uncertainty remains, US officials warn, but from the perspective of US troops here, “This actually represents an end,” said Major General Jeffrey Buchanan, spokesman for US forces in Iraq. He spoke in the hours before what was dubbed the official “End of Mission” ceremony here.

It was two months after the launch of the war, on May 1, 2003, that President Bush stood on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln beneath a banner that declared “mission accomplished.”

More than eight years later, from a stage set up steps away from the flight line of Baghdad International Airport where US troops are now boarding the last flights out of the country, General Martin Dempsey, the nation’s top military officer, reflected on the course of a war that has cost the lives of 4,485 US troops and more than 100,000 Iraqi civilians.

“Iraq has been a defining part of our professional and personal lives,” he said. “The road we have traveled was long and tough. Our journey was a lesson in courage, a test of our character, an affirmation of shared sacrifice, and a monument to sheer will.”

At the height of the surge here, there were 177,000 US troops in the country and 505 American military bases. By 2010, the number of bases was down to 92.

Now there are some 4,000 US forces left in the country – forces that will alternately be flying and convoying home in the days to come.

For these final movements, “security will be incredible,” says a US officer here. As the convoys have rolled towards Kuwait, there have been roadside bomb attacks south of Baghdad, says Buchanan.
None have resulted in injuries, according to the US military.

To ensure that remains the case, US officials have hired Iraqi tribesman, ostensibly “to keep litter off the highways, but really what we’re doing is looking for anything that might cause a threat,” Buchanan notes.
The security patrols continued as US troops drilled for the the end-of-mission ceremony, repeating their measured and precise steps in a march to the podium.

As Dempsey looked out on the assembled troops, he also spoke to the small handful of Iraqi dignitaries who attended.

“Every day required us to balance conflict and compassion. Every step was a singular act of moral and physical courage,” he said. “We learned the power of relationships rooted in trust and respect,” he added, “We lived among you.”

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was invited, say US officials, but did not attend the ceremony.
Mr. Panetta, for his part, tackled a question in the course of his remarks that US troops will continue to wrestle with long after the war has come to an end: Was the sacrifice worth the cost?

He assured those forces assembled that it was. “Those lives were not lost in vain,” he said. “They gave birth to an independent, free, and sovereign Iraq.”

Yet along with the assurances, Panetta issued a warning as well. “Let me be clear: Iraq will be tested in the days ahead, by terrorism, by those who would seek to divide,” he said. And “by the demands of democracy itself.”

For US soldiers here, the ceremony marked the end of years of deployments and separation from family.
As ceremonial troops retired unit flags for the last time to the strains of, “Off We Go, into the Wild Blue Yonder,” one airman reflected on the flight that she soon would be taking, bound for home. “We’ve been waiting a long time for this," she said.

Bootleg liquor kills 143 people in eastern India

2011-12-15T08:18:00.000-08:00

Bootleg liquor kills 143 people in eastern India

SANGRAMPUR, India (AP) — Bootleg liquor containing toxic methanol killed 143 people and sickened dozens more who drank the cheap, illicit brew bought at small shops in eastern India, officials said Thursday. Police arrested 10 suspected bootleggers.

Emergency medical teams rushed to the village outside Kolkata, and thousands of relatives, many of them wailing in grief, gathered outside the packed hospital. Inside, dead bodies lay on the floor covered in quilts, while the ill waited on staircases to be treated. Groups of men sat in the halls with saline drips running into their arms.

Abdul Gayen cried inconsolably for his son, Safiulla, a laborer who drank some of the liquor Monday night and then complained of lightheadedness. When Safiulla woke up the next morning, he fell and began frothing at the mouth, Gayen said. He died before his family could get him to the hospital.

"Safiulla was the lone bread earner in our family. I don't know what will happen to us now," he said.

Illegal liquor operations flourish in the slums of urban India and among the rural poor who can't afford the alcohol at state-sanctioned shops. The hooch, often mixed with cheap chemicals to increase potency and profit, causes illness and death sometimes — and occasionally mass carnage.

Many of the victims — day laborers, street hawkers, rickshaw drivers — had gathered along a road near a railway station after work to drink the illicit booze they bought for 10 rupees (20 cents) a half liter, less than a third the price of legal alcohol, district magistrate Naraya Swarup Nigam said.

They later began vomiting, suffering piercing headaches and frothing at the mouth, he said.

Angry villagers later ransacked booze shops around the village of Sangrampur, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) south of Kolkata, the city formerly known as Calcutta.
Police arrested 10 people in connection with making and distributing the methanol-tainted booze and demolished 10 illicit liquor dens in the area, said Luxmi Narayan Meena, district superintendent of police.

Arman Seikh, 23, rushed his brother-in-law to the hospital.
"He complained of burning chest and severe stomach pain last night," he told The Associated Press.

Police officials said the liquor was from an illegal distillery in the village of Mograhat that supplies 70 shops in the area. Police are searching for the kingpin of the operation, who has fled, they said.
Drinking alcohol contains ethanol, whereas highly toxic methanol — a clear liquid that can be used as fuel, solvent or antifreeze — can induce comas and cause blindness and is deadly in high doses.
Anwar Hassan Mullah brought six sickened people to a hospital, and all of them died, he told NDTV news channel. He blamed police for turning a blind eye to bootleggers who spike their alcohol to boost its kick.

"It's a very sad thing that this has happened," Mullah said. "Why don't the police stop this? I cannot understand. What connection do they have (to the bootleggers)?"

By Thursday evening, the death toll had skyrocketed to 143, said Surajit Kar Purkayaspha, a top West Bengal police official. About 100 people were being treated in hospitals, he said.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee ordered an inquiry into the deaths, called for a meeting of the state's major political parties to address the problem and promised a crackdown.

"I want to take strong action against those manufacturing and selling illegal liquor," she said, according to Press Trust of India. "But this is a social problem also, and this has to be dealt with socially also along with action."

Despite religious and cultural taboos against drinking among Indians, 5 percent — roughly 60 million people — are alcoholics. Two-thirds of the alcohol consumed in the country is illegal homemade hooch or undocumented liquor smuggled in, according to The Lancet medical journal.

The state of Gujarat, where all liquor is banned, just approved a death penalty for making, transporting or selling spurious liquor that kills people. The strict measures were proposed after 157 people died from drinking a bad batch of liquor in the city of Ahmedabad in 2009. At least 180 people died in 2008 around the southern Indian city of Bangalore from a toxic batch of homemade liquor.
The mass casualties came just days after a hospital fire in Kolkata killed more than 90 people and led to the arrest of the facility's directors for culpable homicide.

Illicit liquor is a hugely profitable industry across India, where bootleggers pay no taxes and sell enormous quantities of their product, said Johnson Edayaranmula, executive director of the Indian Alcohol Policy Alliance, an organization that fights alcohol-related problems.

The bootleggers, working in homes, hidden warehouses and even in forests, can turn 1 liter of genuine alcohol into 1,000 liters of bootlegged swill with chemicals and additives that usually cause no harm, but on occasion can lead to tragedy, he said.

Every week, one or two people across the country die from tainted liquor, he said. In 2009, at least 112 people died from a toxic brew in western India.

"People don't know what they are drinking," he said. "It's all easy money, big profits. No one is bothered by the health or social consequences."

The trade is allowed to flourish despite strict laws against spurious liquor because corrupt police, local officials and tax authorities all get a cut of the profits, he said.

"Many people are getting a share out of it, so who is going to take action against these people," he said.

Miami is vainest city followed by Chicago.

2011-12-15T08:13:00.000-08:00

Miami is vainest city followed by Chicago.

http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/Miami-is-Number-One-On-Vainest-City-List-135653338.html

Some say Miami is synonymous to a glamorous nightlife and beautiful women. But what about vain, as in the vainest city in America?

That's the title LivingSocial.com has given to Miami and some of the locals agree.

"Vain? That would definitely be it, especially here in South Beach," Miami Beach resident Ramon Gutierrez said.

"It's all about image, it's what you're wearing, the bag that you're carrying car and the car that you're driving," added Jackie Cook.

Livingsocial.com, together with Mandala Research, surveyed 4,000 people in 20 major cities. On a scale of 1 to 10, the majority of the 200 Miamians surveyed rated themselves as a 7 or higher when it came to their looks.

Resident Dennise Fabrega was shy about rating her attractiveness, but admitted to being vain at times. "I've been through it, but I try not to," she said.

Cleveland turns out to be the most insecure city. The survey also shows that Miamians seem to know the most people who've had a tummy tuck, collagen injections, laser hair removal and liposuction. Not to mention the ads for plastic surgery are easy to find, even as you are driving.

"They're all over the place," Cook says.

The other lists Miami has made recently have been less than flattering. Men's Health ranks Miami the least educated city with Miami coming in at 100 out of 100 cities.'

Some Magic City residents say forget the critics. Many locals told NBC Miami they choose to appreciate Miami for all it has to offer.

Canada’s most dangerous city: Prince George

2011-12-15T08:08:00.000-08:00

Canada’s most dangerous city: Prince George

Gang wars, drug abuse and a serial killer guaranteed Prince George, B.C., the top spot

Most days, after Doug Leslie is back from work at the molybdenum mine in tiny Fraser Lake, B.C., he sits at his computer and writes a chatty little note to his 15-year-old daughter Loren. It’s a catch-up on the day, and maybe a bleat about those times he pulls the night shift, or about the cold of a northern B.C. winter, or about how quickly days ﬂy by now that he shoulders the destiny Loren has inspired. “Loren, can you do anything about this weather?” he asked her recently. “It’s snowing and I hate winter, it’s cold and damp, and you are not here to warm up the room.” Invariably, he tells Loren how much he misses her, before signing off, “Love Dad.”

The notes grew increasingly plaintive as Nov. 27 approached. The pills weren’t helping him sleep, and the gulf separating father from daughter seemed impossibly wide, although he’d like to believe she reads every one of his messages. “That has been my sanity,” he says of his missives to a daughter who will forever be 15. Nov. 27 was the first anniversary of her murder.

Her alleged killer, 21-year-old Cody Alan Legebokoff, is in custody in nearby Prince George. He faces charges for the first-degree murders of Loren and three other women: Jill Stuchenko and Cynthia Maas, both 35, and Natasha Montgomery, 23.

The murders capped a grim 2010 for Prince George. For the second year in a row, it has the highest—that is to say, worst—score in Maclean’s fourth annual national crime rankings, 114 per cent above the national average. The result is no surprise to RCMP Supt. Eric Stubbs, who heads the detachment there. The year was marked by outbreaks of gang and drug-related crime. Added to that was an uncharacteristic string of nine murders in and around the community of just 74,000 people. Three homicides are alleged to have been committed by Legebokoff that year. Most of the rest are accounted for by organized crime and the drug trade, says Stubbs.

The rankings are based on our analysis of Statistics Canada’s Crime Severity Index (CSI), commissioned by Maclean’s to measure criminal activity in Canada’s 100 largest cities and police districts. Overall, the news is good. Canada’s crime score has fallen almost 23 per cent since the year 2000. Even Prince George, after a murderous year, recorded a crime score 11 per cent lower than a decade ago. The severity index is a relatively new tool StatsCan has created. It uses police reports of a broad spectrum of offences to rank their relative seriousness. More weight is allotted to the worst offences, such as murders, robberies and serious assaults, based on the length of the sentences served. Using StatsCan’s tally of seven murders in 2010, Prince George had the highest per-capita murder rate in Canada—486 per cent above the national average. It also tops the overall, violent and non-violent crime score rankings, among the 100 cities.

Maclean’s also tracked crime trends by commissioning a run of six indicator offences: homicide, sexual assault, aggravated assault, robbery, breaking and entering and auto theft. It shows Prince George residents endured far more than their share. The rate of breaking and entering was 89 per cent above the national average, the second highest in Canada. Vehicle theft was 104 per cent above the national average, eighth highest. Robbery: 57 per cent above average, 14th highest. Sexual assault: 84 per cent above average, fourth highest. Only the rate of aggravated assault was below the national average.

Turf wars over the drug trade, and related addiction issues, account for a significant share of the crime, says Stubbs. Prince George draws a large transient population. As well, gangs have shifted some operations to the B.C. Interior after a concerted effort by police in the Lower Mainland to disrupt the organized drug trade. Still, Stubbs says anti-gang initiatives have had a significant impact, and the work of a new Downtown Enforcement Unit has made the central core safer and more welcoming. “It’s an excellent community and a safe community to live in, if you’re not in that world of drugs, alcohol and violence,” Stubbs says.

But it is the four murders allegedly committed over 13 months by Legebokoff that many find inexplicable. The burly, good-looking son of a prosperous, respected family grew up in Fort St. James, outside Prince George. By most accounts, he had an unremarkable upbringing, playing hockey, snowboarding and hunting. Yet, if police allegations are proven in court, he began a killing spree at age 19 with the murder of Stuchenko in October 2009. Three other murders followed the next year. He was arrested the night of Loren’s murder after an alert RCMP member stopped his pickup as he pulled out of a logging road in a remote area northwest of Prince George. Loren’s body was found that night in the woods. Legebokoff was charged with the other three murders after a 10-month RCMP investigation.

Prince George and area has endured much sorrow and crime. It sits on Highway 16, better known as the Highway of Tears. It’s a long stretch of road cutting through resource towns and wilderness between Alberta and Prince Rupert, B.C., on the Pacific coast. Eighteen women, most of them hitchhikers, vanished or were murdered between 1969 and 2006. (Forensics and his age eliminated Legebokoff as a suspect in any of those unsolved cases.)

Sharon Hurd, who works at the Phoenix Transition Society, a local women’s shelter, says the city remains a dangerous place, especially for vulnerable women. “The viciousness of the retaliation by the gangs up here has everybody absolutely terrified,” she says. “I’m not the least bit relieved, I’m just wondering how quickly they’re going to get the next [killer].”

Loren’s parents draw some comfort from the belief that her murder was the “catalyst,” as Doug puts it, leading to her alleged killer’s arrest, and perhaps saving other lives. He has launched the Loren Donn Leslie Foundation to raise awareness about Internet predation (Loren may have met Legebokoff online) and other risks facing young people. The foundation, he says, is his destiny. A vigil and fundraiser was held on the anniversary of her death. “[E]veryone was awesome and things went really well,” he wrote Loren on the foundation website. “You would have loved it.”

Prince George, too, is moving on. For whatever reason—vigilant policing, circumstance, and, Stubbs concedes, some luck—at this time the city hasn’t recorded a single murder in 2011. “I’m knocking on all the wood I can find,” Stubbs said.

Scotlands murder rate increases by 19%.

2011-12-14T09:54:00.000-08:00

Homicide rate in Scotland increases by 19%

Scotland's homicide rate has risen by 19% in the past year.

Figures published by the Scottish government revealed there were 95 homicides in the year to the end of March - up from 78 in 2009-10.

But the figure is still the third lowest in the past 11 years. Almost two-thirds of murder victims died as a result of knife crime.

There were 77 male homicide victims which was 79% of the total number of victims recorded.

The Strathclyde Police force area, which contains 43% of Scotland's population, accounted for 64% of all homicides - which include murders and cases of culpable homicide - recorded in 2010-11.

Most people accused of homicide were under the influence of alcohol or drugs (79% of cases), with more than half under the influence of alcohol (53% of cases).

In the vast majority of cases where the relationship was known, 88% were carried out by a person known to the victim.

In 2010-11, 61 homicide victims were killed by a sharp instrument, accounting for 63% of all victims recorded.

Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said: "Every single life lost is one too many and every murder is a horrific tragedy for families, loved ones and for communities.

"Although the murder rate is down by 30% since 2004/05, last year saw a rise from 2009/10.

"The statistics speak for themselves - most murders are carried out indoors, under the influence of alcohol or drugs, by someone known to the victim. These senseless acts are usually carried out by men, under the influence of cheap booze and drugs."

Mr MacAskill said the Scottish government was tackling the crime statistics by putting extra officers into communities, by investing £155m in tackling alcohol misuse and by introducing its alcohol minimum pricing bill.

"We will not shirk from taking tough action on alcohol abuse and we cannot allow this mindless violence, which has devastating consequences for families and communities across Scotland, to continue," he said.
He added: "Today's figures also show that the vast majority of killings involving knives are carried out indoors by perpetrators under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and not on our streets.

"Let me be crystal clear - tackling knife crime is an absolute priority for this government and Scotland's prosecutors and courts have my backing in using the full force of the law to punish anyone who carries or uses a knife.

"Tough enforcement backed by education is key to tackling knife crime.

"Ending Scotland's knife culture is not going to be an easy task - every incident or life lost, as these tragic cases show, is one too many. However, we are working hard to tackle the problem across the country and there will be absolutely no let up in our efforts."

Mr MacAskill added that overall crime was at its lowest rate for 35 years.

'Weapon of choice'

Responding to the statistical report, Labour's James Kelly said it was "deeply concerning" that knife deaths had increased by 74% "in the last year alone".

He added: "They now account for a greater proportion of killings in Scotland than at any point in the last decade.

"The SNP is quick to blame drink and drugs, which of course we must tackle, but that does not explain why knives, overwhelmingly, continue to be Scotland's weapon of choice.

"These statistics underline the need for the SNP government to place a renewed focus on tackling violent crime, especially knife crime, reducing reoffending and placing victims at the heart of the justice system again."

The Scottish Conservative's justice spokesman David McLetchie said it was time for a co-ordinated crackdown on knife crime.

He added: "Our courts should be handing out exemplary prison sentences to those who carry knives and use them to commit serious assaults and murders.

"This approach has worked in the past and can do so again. Too often those jailed for knife attacks are allowed out under early release and do not serve their full sentence. The SNP's soft touch policy on sentencing undermines our efforts to tackle this problem.

Flint Michigan most dangerous city in 2010 according to Morgan Quitnos Rankings.

2011-12-13T07:42:00.000-08:00

Flint Michigan most dangerous city per capita according to Morgan Quitnos analysis of Fbi Crime stats.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/12/most-dangerous-cities-in-america_n_1140173.html#s533598&title=1_Flint_Michigan

http://globalgrind.com/news/americas-most-dangerous-cities-2011-list?gpage=7#gtop

Most dangerous cities in order from 2010 crime stats. Top 25.

1.) Flint, Michigan
2.) Camden, New Jersey
3.) Detroit, Michigan
4.) St. Louis, Missouri
5.) Oakland, California
6.) Cleveland, Ohio
7.) Baltimore, Maryland
8.) Jackson, Mississippi
9.) Newark, New Jersey
10.) Richmonad California
11.) New Orleans, Lousiana
12.) New Haven, CT
13.) Little Rock, Arkansas
14.) Compton, California
15.) Buffalo, New York
16.) Cincinnati, Ohio
17.) Memphis, TN
18.) Dayton, Ohio
19.) Washington DC
20.) Stockton, California
21.) Macon, Georgia
22.) Kansas City, Missouri
23.) Springfield, MA
24.) Hartford, CN
25.) Vallejo, California

Apple stores not in dangerous cities.

2011-12-13T07:24:00.000-08:00

Apple stores not in dangerous cities

STOCKTON, CA - Forbes Magazine, which earlier this year marked Stockton as the most miserable city in the country, has new data to share.

Forbes reports that eight of the "Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities" in the U.S., where Stockton is ranked 8, don't have Apple stores.

"It's another example of (Forbes having) nothing else to do," Stockton Chamber of Commerce's Douglas Wilhoit said.

The Forbes story doesn't imply Apple stores lead to less crime in various cities, but reports, Apple chooses to put it's stores in safer areas.

"I think it's ridiculous," Wilhoit said. "When they do these studies, there's no credibility whatsoever."

The two cities on the top 10 list that do have Apple stores are Anchorage and Las Vegas.

Gulfport 2011 murder rate up 57 Percent. Sets record.

2011-12-12T06:25:00.000-08:00

Homicides up 57 percent

Gulfport has all-time high; guns used in majority of slayings

GULFPORT -- Local authorities recall how in the past, Coast residents tended to settle their disputes with words or, at worst, an old-fashioned fist-fight.

These days, they see a growing trend of unbridled anger, and more people settling their differences with guns as homicides increase in Harrison, Jackson and Hancock counties.

Homicides this year are up nearly 57 percent over 2010. A Sun Herald analysis of statistics shows guns were used in 80 percent of this year’s killings.

A record number of 17 homicides in Gulfport this year has raised the Coast’s homicide numbers to 36, compared with 23 last year.

“Even one is too many,” Police Chief Alan Weatherford said. “Our numbers this year are concerning to me.”
The city’s 17 homicides represent 14 criminal cases that include a double homicide and a triple homicide. Guns were used in 10 of those, killing 13 people.

Gulfport’s total brings Harrison County’s homicide toll for the year to 26. None of the killings occurred in the county’s unincorporated areas. Six slayings were reported in D’Iberville, including a triple homicide. Three occurred in Biloxi.

Homicides across Harrison County’s cities more than doubled this year from last year’s 12.

Jackson County had six homicides this year, down from 11 last year. Slayings this year included three in the county and one each in Moss Point, Gautier and Pascagoula.

Hancock County had four homicides -- two in the county and one each in Bay St. Louis and Waveland. The county had none in 2010.

Killings on Coast near record

The death toll is not an all-time high, but almost.

Statistics show homicides on the Coast reached their highest level in 2001, when 37 people died at the hands of another. That was the year Gulfport police reported 12 killings, the most in the city’s history at that time.
The Coast has averaged 30 homicides a year since 2001, based on numbers reported each year except 2004. Harrison County reported 12 homicides that year. Numbers for 2004 could not be confirmed by the Jackson County and Hancock County coroners, who said they lost records after Hurricane Katrina or have files on hand only since 2005.
Unbridled anger a factor

This year’s Coast number is as many as reported in 2006, the year after Hurricane Katrina.

Is there a post-Katrina syndrome that is causing the increase? Is it the effects of the economy?

Weatherford, who has been with the police department 24 years, and Harrison County Coroner Gary Hargrove, who has worked with the coroner’s office for 26 years, said they don’t believe the killings are related to Katrina or the economy.

The Coast had 34 homicides in 2005. Katrina had struck that August. The number of homicides went up by two the following year, and have generally decreased, with some fluctuations, until this year.

“The economy has been bad for two years,” Weatherford said.

So why the increase this year?

“It’s a number of things,” Hargrove said. “Abuse. Retaliation over drug deals gone bad. Possible robberies. I am sure that anger has a lot to do with it.

“The biggest trend I see is looking at how people resolved their arguments when I was growing up. Back then, if people got in an argument, they fought it out in hand-to-hand combat. In today’s world, if people get mad at somebody, they shoot them. Or stab them. Instead of trying to settle a disagreement or an argument, it turns to violence. I guess that’s just the way the world’s going.”

Weatherford agreed, and pointed to several homicides in Gulfport believed to involve retaliation, including one believed to be a case of mistaken identity.

“It used to be we would get a call about a fight and they would still be fighting when our officers arrived,” Weatherford said.

“Nowadays, somebody has pulled out a gun or a knife before we get there. Or we learn someone has been shot or stabbed and it’s the first we’ve heard of a problem. If we don’t know there’s a problem, we can’t do anything to prevent a situation from escalating to violence.”

Twenty-nine killings this year involved guns. Three people were stabbed to death, two were beaten to death and one was strangled. The cause of death has not been released in one of Gulfport’s four unsolved cases.
Weatherford said he is proud his department has one of the highest homicide clearance rates in the nation.

That’s police-speak for homicide cases cleared or solved by arrests. One factor in the high number of homicides could be that Gulfport is the state’s second-largest city.

But amid other uncertainties, one thing is clear. Coast homicides aren’t believed to be the work of serial killers or random killings by strangers. Almost all of the slayings involved people who were acquainted, related or a romantic interest, which mirrors national trends.

Numbers fluctuate

Hargrove said he has seen homicides rise and fall in almost-unexplainable cycles in nearly three decades.
“It will be high one year, low one or two years, and bounce back,” he said. “What I believe is people look at the news -- like homicides, DUIs, traffic fatalities and suicides -- and I think they become more cautious in their lives, maybe watch things a little better, get more involved in working with the police.”

“It’s all about a partnership with law enforcement,” Hargrove said. “If a community is not willing to work with police, police can’t help them.”

Miami is the worst city to find a job in the United States. Says survey.

2011-12-10T07:42:00.000-08:00

Survey Says: Miami Worst City To Find A Job

It’s the Gateway To Latin America.

It’s got everything: sun, surf and sand, LeBron James, D-Wade and the barrio chic of Calle Ocho; cruise ships larger than the starship Enterprise, and a colorful city government that often times resembles a Banana Republic. A new half-billion dollar baseball stadium has sprouted in a blighted neighborhood downtown; and South Beach style for stars that want to be seen and the fans that want to be them.

Indeed, the Magic City is known far and wide; now it can boast another distinction: Miami is officially the Worst City To Find A Job In.

With its’ infamous gleaming skyline shimmering like diamonds across the thirsty laps of bayfront waves, Miami and most of Florida were once immune from economic downturns that savaged other cities and towns across the U.S. thanks to brisk tourism and an immigrant flow that pulsed like a heartbeat gone wild on Red Bull.

No more.

According to a survey by Indeed.com and reported in Forbes magazine, Miami is the worst city to find a job in bar none in the U.S. With a state unemployment rate of over 10% and a Miami rate of 13%, it can now boast the distinction of having tougher times than some pretty notable cities.

Close on the heels of Miami in the survey are Los Angeles and Riverside, California, followed closely by Las Vegas and Detroit.

The ranking is not based on the pure unemployment rate, but also by number of job-seekers to available jobs. In Miami nearly four people compete for every opening, Los Angeles 3.48, Riverside 3.2, Las Vegas 3.1, and Detroit 2.7.

The construction trade has taken the hardest hit in Miami. As recently as 3 years ago the city skyline was dotted with construction cranes as far as the eye can see. No more, like the jobs that used to go with them. In fact, in other surveys compiled by job aggregator Juju.com and still another by SimplyHired.com report that number of job-seekers in Miami to be over 8 per opening.

Either way, this is not the type of Numero Uno distinction Miami craves.

Near term, the numbers may still worsen as the city grapples with police and fire manpower reductions and city government bloat that is contributing to mammoth million-dollar budget shortfalls and will most certainly result in more lost jobs.

If there is a silver lining, it’s the new underground tunnel being drilled under Biscayne Bay to expand port business, and the opening of the new Miami Marlins baseball stadium where over 3,000 job hunters recently showed up to apply for a mere 200 jobs. Now that the NBA basketball lockout is resolved the Miami Heat will get back on the court, bringing with it hundreds of jobs in the heart of the city with the winter tourist season knocking on the door.

Two killed in Virginia Tech shooting

2011-12-10T06:21:00.001-08:00

Two killed in Virginia Tech shooting

At least two individuals were killed on Wednesday afternoon in a shooting at Virginia Tech University, which in April 2007 was the site of the deadliest single-man gun rampage in the United States’ history.

One victim, police officer Deriek Crouse (39) was shot at near-point-blank range by the gunman, who police said to have approached the officer as he was making a traffic stop in a campus parking lot. Officer Crouse was an Army veteran with five children, officials added.

Staff confirmed via the university website that shortly past noon gunshots were reported in a parking lot. “Stay Inside. Secure doors. Emergency personnel [are] responding. Call 911 for help,” the site warned at the time.

Further updates from the university noted that the suspect, described as a white male wearing gray sweat pants, gray hat with a neon green brim, a maroon hooded jacket and backpack was “at large.”

Officials confirmed early on that a police officer at the university had been shot dead. According to witness reports received by the police, the shooter fled on foot heading toward a parking lot and at that parking lot, a second person was found. “That person is also deceased,” the university confirmed in an update to its website.

University officials also said that that a weapon was recovered near the second body found in a parking lot on campus, although at the time it was not clear if the second body was that of the gunman.

Media reports of a conference call with Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell said “The evidence was strong that the gunman was the second dead man... It was unclear, however, whether his wound was self-inflicted.”

On the call Rick Jenkins of the Virginia State Police said, “We have recovered clothing items that would lead us to believe that he would be one and the same,” however adding, “We are not in a situation to say that definitively at this point.”

By 4:30 pm the university announced that Virginia Tech Police, in conjunction with other law enforcement agencies, have determined that there is no longer an active threat or a need to secure in place. Resume normal activities.”

The event echoed the now-infamous shooting spree of Cho Seung-Hui, an English major at Virginia Tech, who on April 16, 2007 unleashed two separate attacks several hours apart and killed 32 people and wounded 25 others. He then turned the gun on himself.

Following that incident there was also criticism of slow reaction time of university authorities to reports of Cho’s killing spree underway. In Wednesday’s shooting, however, the university went into lockdown mode with minutes of the first reports of gunshots. Law enforcement officers, including a heavily-armed local SWAT team, were seen searching the campus for the shooter.

At a press conference held in the afternoon university authorities defended their response on this occasion saying, “Communication systems we have in place today did not exist in 2007.”

However according to reports the deaths came on the same day that Virginia Tech officials were appealing a fine levied upon them by authorities in Washington over the university’s response in 2007.

Coming in the wake of numerous other such shootings carried out by youth, including the Columbine massacre, the Virginia Tech killings of 2007 sparked off a round of nationwide soul-searching on gun control, particularly the question of firearm bans on college campuses.

The event also sent shockwaves abroad. The slaying of G.V. Loganathan, a Professor in the Virginia Tech Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering drew much attention to the case in India and, in particular, in Tamil Nadu.

Kansas City's 2011 murder rate surpasses 2010. 108 homicides as of December 10th, compared to 106 all of last year.

2011-12-10T06:17:00.000-08:00

Man shot at store; KC homicides exceed last year

Kansas City police think the city’s latest homicide was a robbery gone wrong.

Officers were called to the Express Stop at 5712 Independence Ave. shortly before 3 p.m. Friday and found a man in his 20s dead inside the store. Police couldn’t immediately say if the deceased was a suspected robber, a store clerk or a customer.

The shooting is the 108th homicide in Kansas City this year, the department’s homicide unit said. This means the city has passed last year’s total of 106 cases.

That number, 106, also represents the city’s annual homicide average for the past decade.

The 107th homicide appears to be Sherilyn A. Hill, who was found dead of unknown causes about 12:55 p.m. Wednesday in a motel at 600 Paseo. The Jackson County medical examiner’s office has ruled her death a homicide, police said Friday.

On Friday afternoon, yellow police tape surrounded the Express Stop, located between a car wash and a shopping center. Several people milled around the edge of the crime scene to watch officers work.
“This is a really busy area, especially at this time of day,” said Sgt. Stacey Graves, a department spokeswoman.

She encouraged anyone with information about the shooting to contact the TIPS Hotline, 816-474-TIPS (8477).

Since taking office in October, Police Chief Darryl Forté has put an emphasis on stopping violent crime, especially homicides. The department has placed extra officers in four “hot spots” that tend to produce most of Kansas City’s murders and shootings.

Chicago sees 37 homicides in November, 2011 murder rate running about the same as 2010.

2011-12-08T10:17:00.000-08:00

Chicago sees 37 homicides in November.

Morgan Park and Woodlawn each saw two homicides in the last week, a RedEye analysis of preliminary police data found.

In Morgan Park, a 17-year-old boy was fatally shot Saturday in the 1100 block of West 112th Place, officials said. Two days earlier, a 21-year-old man was shot to death in the 11100 block of South Throop Street, police said.

Morgan Park has logged three homicides so far this year, RedEye data shows. The South Side community area recorded nine homicides last year, RedEye determined.

In Woodlawn, a 21-year-old man was shot to death Sunday in the 6600 block of South St. Lawrence Avenue, police said. One day earlier, a 16-year-old boy was fatally shot in the 6200 block of South St. Lawrence Avenue, according to officials.

Woodlawn has logged 12 homicides so far this year, according to RedEye data. The South Side community area recorded eight homicides last year, RedEye data shows.

Citywide, gunshot homicides were logged in the last week in Brighton Park, Gage Park, Uptown and West Englewood, RedEye determined.

Meanwhile, fatal stabbings were recorded in Avondale and Rogers Park, officials said.
November ended last week with 37 homicides, up from 32 homicides in November last year, RedEye data shows.

Nine homicides have been logged so far in December. Police recorded 25 homicides in December last year, RedEye found.

Stocktons 2011 murder rate breaks the record of 1992's 55. 56 homicides so sar in Stockton.

2011-12-08T10:10:00.000-08:00

No. 56 Breaks 1992 Record

STOCKTON, Calif. (KCRA) -- Stockton police say the badly decomposed body found in the Julienne Apartments in downtown Stockton is a homicide victim.

Badly Decomposed Body Found In Stockton

That marks the 56th homicide victim this year, and breaks the previous record of 55 set in 1992 in Stockton.

List: Stockton Homicides Investigated In 2011 Breaks Record

Tuesday night, police arrested Devon Epps, 36, who was the tenant in the apartment.

Police have not released the gender, the identity of the victim or a cause of death.

Read more: http://www.kcra.com/news/29943847/detail.html#ixzz1fy5Qn0uD

El Salvador appoints army general to combat murder rate

2011-12-08T06:52:00.000-08:00

El Salvador appoints army general to combat murder rate

Leftwing president's choice of general to serve as justice minister angers his ruling party allies

Crackdown time ... a member of the Mara Salvatrucha, street gang, detained by police. Photograph: Roberto Escobar/EPA

For the first time since the civil war, which left 75,000 dead or missing in El Salvador between 1980 and 1992, a former member of the military has been asked to restore law and order. Last month Mauricio Funes, the country's first leftwing president since the end of the conflict, swore in retired general David Munguia Payes, previously the defence minister, as the new minister of justice and public security.

The Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN), the former Marxist guerrilla organisation and now the ruling party, condemned the decision. Human rights campaigners and magistrates joined in the protest, maintaining that his appointment was a violation of the almost 20-year-old peace agreement, which banned the military from law enforcement and set up a national civilian police force.

With 16 murders a day, El Salvador is vying with Honduras for the dubious distinction of the highest rate of homicides in the world. On the route from Colombia to Mexico, Central America is the prey of drug traffickers, and to make matters worse mara youth gangs have terrorised the country for the past decade.

Funes has already tasked the army with supervising prisons and sensitive areas. The previous justice minister was a former FMLN commander, Manuel Melgar, who was out of favour with Washington because he took part in a guerrilla attack in 1985 in which four US marines lost their lives. FMLN sources attributed his resignation last month to US pressure.

"El Salvador may see a spiral of violence comparable to Mexico," said the FMLN member of parliament Roberto Lorenzana. "When the Mexicans militarised law and order enforcement, the cure proved even worse than the disease."

The FMLN has no personal objection to Munguia, who commanded an artillery brigade during the civil war, nor have any charges of human rights violations been brought against him. On the contrary, he has supported the ruling party for several years and was promoted to the rank of general thanks to the leftwing government. But his appointment seems to be the last straw in a growing rift between president and party.

Former guerrillas, now senior police officers, are threatening to resign in protest at the decision to make them take orders from an army general, even if he has retired.

"I ask to be judged on the basis of results after a year on the job," Munguia said as he was sworn in. The next day Funes and his new minister met police leaders in an attempt to end the unrest.

Rightwing and leftwing governments in the region are making increasing use of the armed forces in their battle against crime.

This article originally appeared in Le Monde

Californias murder rate keeps falling.

2011-12-07T07:44:00.000-08:00

California's Homicide rates keep declining

For yet another year, the rate of homicides in California has declined.

From 2009 to 2010, the most recent numbers available, homicides per 100,000 people fell 7.8 percent, according to a recently released report from the California Department of Justice.

From 2001 to 2010, the homicide rate decreased 25.4 percent.

"This marks the fifth consecutive year of decline," the report stated.

Since 2001, the homicide rate ranged from a high of 6.8 per 100,000 in 2002 and 2005 to a low of 4.7 in 2010 - the lowest homicide rate since 1966, according to the report.

San Bernardino County has seen a steady decrease in homicides over the years.

In 2005, homicides were at their highest - 8.8 per 100,000, according to the report. The following year, the rate fell to 8.0.

By 2008, the rate was 5.8.

The next year's rate was nearly identical - 5.9 - but the 2010 homicide rate of 5.0 per 100,000 was the lowest in years.

San Bernardino County had the third-most homicides in the state in 2010, following Los Angeles and Alameda counties, according to the report. But the number of killings has gone down drastically in recent years.

In 2005, there were about 174 killings, while in 2010 there were 104.

"Any time crime rates drop, it's exciting news for law enforcement, especially in the rates of the most violent crimes like homicides," said Cindy Bachman, a San Bernardino County sheriff's spokeswoman.

Officials also noticed an increase in the homicide clearance rate, the percentage of reported crimes that have been solved.

Over the last 10 years, the homicide clearance rate ranged from a low of 49.6 percent in 2001 to 63.8 percent in 2010, according to the report.

The homicide report details information about homicides, including the victims, demographic data on arrests for homicide as well as information about the response of the criminal justice system.

Edmonton sets record murder total in 2011. 44 homicides so far, break the previous record of 39.

2011-12-06T06:48:00.000-08:00

Capital Murder: Behind Edmonton's grim homicide statistics

EDMONTON - Even before the calendar year draws to a close, Edmonton already finds itself coping with a record-high 44 murders.

It's a figure that no longer leads the nation, but one that has nonetheless saddled the city with a less than sterling reputation.

The previous record of 39 homicides was set in 2005.

In the five-part series 'Capital Murder,' Global News recently took a closer look at what's behind the grim statistic.

Part 1 features insight from a world-renowned criminologist who says he's confident the city is taking the necessary steps to fight the problem.

Part 2 looks at the strain that an elevated homicide rate is putting on the province's legal and victim's support systems.

Part 3 features an extended interview with Edmonton's longest-serving homicide investigator, who talks about adrenaline rush that comes with a new file, his frustrations with the trial system, the satisfaction he gets from a suspect's confession, and the part of the job that never gets easier - telling someone that a person they love has been murdered.

Part 4 is a feature interview with Edmonton police Chief Rod Knecht, who speaks candidly about the challenge involved in dealing with a high homicide rate, the progress that is being made, and the frustrations of investigators and of the families of victims.

Part 5 focuses on how a record-high homicide rate impacts the city's reputation, and how some national and international coverage is only telling part of the story.

Read it on Global News: Global Edmonton | Capital Murder: Behind Edmonton's grim homicide statistics

80 year old Chicago Priest beaten, robbed at South Side church.

2011-12-06T06:42:00.000-08:00

Priest beaten, robbed at South Side church

An 80-year-old priest was beaten and robbed inside his South Side church early Tuesday.

The suspects apparently broke in to St. Margaret of Scotland Church, in the 8900 block of South Throop Street, shortly before 12:30 a.m. and found the 80-year-old priest sleeping, according to police citing preliminary reports.

The priest awoke to see the two males standing over him, demanding money before they beat him, took an unknown amount of cash , police said.

Sources identified the priest as Rev. Daniel J. Mallette. Currently a pastor emeritus, Mallette has been at the church since 1977, according to a website for the parish.

His condition was not immediately known but he was responsive and talking to police officers who responded to the scene, police said. He was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.

No one is in custody for the attack early Tuesday, police said.

Calumet Area detectives are investigating.

Toronto may record fewest homicides in 30 years. Toronto 2011 murder rate down dramatically.

2011-12-02T07:59:00.000-08:00

Toronto may record fewest homicides in 30 years

How about a late-day good news story? Toronto seems to be on track to record the fewest annual homicides in its recent history. The city recorded only its 42nd slaying of 2011 with the death of Leanne Freeman early Tuesday. From the Toronto Star:

In 1986, 40 slayings were recorded. To date this year, 42 homicides have been reported, down from 86 in 2007....
Across the border, the Bureau of Justice Statistics has recorded steady decreases in property and violent crime as well as homicides in New York, Detroit and Chicago over the past 10 years.
Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair has credited his brainchild, the Toronto Anti-Violence Intervention Strategy (TAVIS) for much of the decline in crime.

With respect to the police on this file, and to be a bit of a buzzkill, it's possible that nothing is responsible for the decline: like any statistic, it's possible for there to be an outlier year that throws off the numbers. There are many different explanations for the decades-long, international decline in violent crime rates (my favourite involves leaded gasoline) and claiming that the results in any one year vindicate your pre-existing beliefs or practices is too easy.

Baltimore November: Lowest homicide count since at least 1970. Baltimore 2011 murder could be less than 200.

2011-12-02T07:56:00.001-08:00

November: Lowest homicide count since at least 1970

November in Baltimore saw the lowest number of homicides for that month in at least the past 40 years, with 10 people slain during the month.

The city has never seen fewer than 12 murders in the month of November since 1970. In recent years, 19 were killed in November 2010, 26 in November 2009, and 30 in November 2008.

The relatively low total makes it possible that Baltimore could record less than 200 homicides for the year for the first time since the late 1970s, when the city also had 200,000 more residents.

Murders have been on a decline in Baltimore since late 2007, when Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III was appointed to his post. There were 282 people killed that year, which dropped to 234 the following year and 223 last year. Murder is down across the country, with many cities seeing their lowest totals since the 1960s.

November's victims include 67-year-old Shirley Tyler, who police say was killed by her grandson, and Lakeisha Player, a 26-year-old woman shot in the head in Northeast Baltimore by a man police say was her boyfriend. The boyfriend had previously been charged with taking the vehicle of a runaway teen from Virginia found dead in East Baltimore, and her family hopes the new charges might stimulate new information in their case.

Police also solved the killing of Tavon Toney, on Nov. 22, who they believe was fatally shot during a robbery.

New Orleans 2011 murder rate exceeds 2010.

2011-11-30T07:08:00.000-08:00

New Orleans 2011 murder rate exceeds 2010's rate.

New Orleans Police say two men were shot to death inside a pick-up truck in the St. Claude neighborhood Sunday morning.

According to NOPD spokesman Officer Frank Robertson III, the shooting happened around 6 a.m. in the 1600 block of St. Ferdinand Street.

Robertson says Fifth District officers responded to a call of "two men down inside of a vehicle", and upon their arrival, found both men suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to the head and body.

Both men was pronounced dead on the scene.

Police say the victims were males aged 17 and 26.

The truck was parked near the back yard of a trucking company, according to the NOPD spokesman.

Police said they did not yet have a suspect and did not find a murder weapon.

These two homicides put the murder rate in New Orleans above that of the 2010 murder rate.

They would be city's 176th and 177th murder victims of the year.