There was some good news in 2023, Homicides dropped by over 10% in America’s biggest cities during the year. After several years of distressingly high homicide rates, data from police departments in the five largest U.S. cities — New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, and Phoenix — show significant reductions in homicides. National data from the FBI covering January to September 2023 revealed an 8.2% drop in all violent crime, with a 15.6% decrease in murders compared to the same period in 2022.

During the pandemic and protests, schools, courts, and social services were disrupted, while gun sales surged. This period also saw strained community-police relations. However, in 2023, reopened services, focused crime-fighting tactics, improved partnerships within the law enforcement community, and a reduction in the backlog of criminal court cases contributed to the decline in the homicide rate, CNN reported.

But the news is not good all across the country. While some cities, such as Detroit, have seen historic lows in homicide numbers, others, like Washington, D.C., and Memphis, have experienced increases in homicides.

Memphis had a triple-digit increase in killings. In 2023, Memphis recorded 393 homicides, marking a substantial rise compared to the previous year. The city was set to finish the year with about 400 homicides, roughly 100 more than last year, WREG reported.

Outgoing Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland attributed the spike in crime in the city to the court system and prosecutor’s office, emphasizing the need for a new focus on prosecuting repeat and violent offenders. District Attorney Steve Mulroy introduced a strategy of “aggressive prosecution” to combat crime, targeting priority offenses like murder and carjacking.

“(S)omething changed this year,” Strickland said. “Violent and property crime are dramatically up, despite overall crime being down throughout the country.”

Photo by kat wilcox: https://www.pexels.com/photo/crime-scene-do-not-cross-signage-923681/