Homicides Down For 2009

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Dec 30, 2009 3:40PM

Chicago Police report that homicides in the city are down 11 percent, with a total of 453 murders through this past Monday (December 28) compared to 509 murders through the same time period last year. The numbers are a small update to what we talked about in yesterday's post on Derrion Albert. While it's always good to see any drop in violent crime, the number is more reflective of a return to the status quo than any real drop. Compared to the last six years, 2009 will likely rank third behind 2008 (511) and 2006 (467). On the plus side, this year's statistics will put more focus on why last year spiked and homicides overall are down over 50 percent from the City's violent peak in the early 90's even as there is more work to do. CPD Supt. Jody Weis credited local commanders for their efforts in helping bring down the crime rate and said this was what he expected coming out of 2008 which saw a lot of turnover at those commander positions: "I said at the end of the year that 2008 was the year of transition. I (expected) 2009 to be the year of results."