Chicago’s homicide rate decreases for the third straight year

Chicago ended 2019 with 490 murders, according to the UChicago Crime Lab (final numbers will be determined after an FBI audit), about 13% lower than 2018’s total of 564 and roughly 35% fewer than 2016, when Chicago reported its highest number of homicides in two decades: 756.

“These historic reductions in citywide crime are the direct result of Chicago’s police officers, community-based organizations and street outreach groups who have dedicated their lives to keeping this city and its residents safe every day,” Mayor Lightfoot said in the Chicago Sun-Times.

Read more: CNN