While You Weren’t Looking, Philly’s Homicide Rate Started Dropping
Somebody should tell the district attorney this is like pitching a no-hitter: You don’t want to talk about this stuff just in case you end up jinxing yourself:
In Philadelphia our homicide total is 42% lower than this date last year.We are making progress but still have lots of work ahead.
— Seth Williams (@DASethWilliams) March 18, 2013
Indeed, here are a pair of informative graphics from the Philadelphia Police Department. The murder rate really has fallen behind last year’s rate.
And, of course, last year was a bit more of a nightmare than usual:
So what’s different? Better law enforcing? Plain old luck? The district attorney, unfortunately, was silent on the matter.