Last Year's Recap

According to a statement made by Chicago’s Police Department on Wednesday 

January 1, 2014, the city recorded the fewest killings since 1965 and its overall crime rate fell to a low not seen since 1972.

The police also said the number of shootings fell 24 percent between 2012 and 2013, from 2,448 to 1,864 and the number of shooting victims dropped from 3,066 to 2,328 for the same time frame.

The year ended with a total of 415 recorded homicides. This is 88 fewer than in 2012 and 20 fewer than in 2011 but still more than larger cities like New York City and Los Angeles. 

New York also recorded the lowest number of homicides since 1963 with 333. Likewise, Los Angeles recorded fewer homicides than the year before.

The Chicago Police Department stated, “Every police district in the city saw a reduction in crime and all but four of the city's 22 police districts saw the number of homicides either fall or remain the same as the year before.”

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City officials and the Chicago Police Department have stated that the drop in shootings, homicides, and other crimes are due to the changes in police strategy. The strategies include targeting violent street gangs that are responsible for a large majority of Chicago’s gun crimes. They also give credit to the hundreds of officers deployed nightly to high crime areas on overtime pay. 

Mayor Rahm Emanuel has stated that besides putting more officers on the streets, various programs for young Chicagoans have lowered the number of violent crimes.

To read more on the city's summer job program, Click Here.