Why homicide rates are falling across the country

The Hill ^ | Apr 21, 2024 | ALEX GANGITANO

[where's_the_Outrage?]

Homicides are falling across the U.S. And that shift could impact the role crime — often a top voter concern — plays as an issue in November’s election.

But it is a phenomenon for which experts don’t have a clear explanation.

Some say homicide peaks come and go in cycles, some say policing improved after the COVID-19 pandemic, and some attribute it to the evolving national conversation about how to handle crime.

A data analysis released last week shows that the number of homicides in cities like Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Chicago, are dropping.

While many major cities, especially those run by Democrats with liberal-leaning policies and populations, have received backlash from Republicans for being inundated with violent crime, the new data paints a picture of an improving situation.

Experts, though, aren’t agreed on exactly why the number of homicides has fallen so far, so fast.

Boston saw the sharpest decline from 2023 to 2024, with homicides dropping by 82 percent. In Philadelphia, homicides dropped by 37 percent; in Dallas, homicides dropped by 27 percent; and in Chicago, homicides dropped by 6 percent, according to estimates from city police department reports compiled by AH Datalytics.

[bdfromlv]

not to mention that all Hispanics are classified as white/Caucasian not differentiated from Irish or Italian or Scandinavian

[Old Yeller]

Reporting has fallen.

[Robert A Cook PE]

Hmmmn. An interesting observation.