Chicago police say the city ended the first 11 months of 2014 with the fewest murders since 1965.
Authorities said there were 13 fewer murders in the first 11 months of this year than in the same time frame in 2013, and 106 fewer murders than in the first 11 months of 2012.
While murders were down through November, there have been 172 more shooting incidents and 270 more shooting victims so far this year than in 2013.
Police noted that while the number of shooting incidents and victims has increased compared to 2013, the numbers are far lower than those seen in 2012.
According to the report, there were 408 fewer shooting incidents and 348 fewer shooting victims through November of this year than in the first 11 months of 2012. Overall crime also dropped 13 percent this year compared to 2013.
“With one month remaining in 2014 we have had the fewest amount of murders since 1965, but there’s much more work to be done and no one will rest until everyone in Chicago enjoys the same sense of safety,” Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy said in a statement. “We will continue to build on our community policing efforts, fostering stronger relationships with the residents we serve, and we will continue to put more officers in high crime areas and proactively intervene in gang conflicts. But until there are better state and federal laws in place to slow the flood of illegal guns into our communities, we will continue to face an uphill battle.”
