California Homicide Rate Drops To 44-Year-Low
SACRAMENTO (CBS/AP) -- The California homicide rate has dropped to its lowest level since 1966.
State Attorney General Kamala Harris released updated 2010 figures Tuesday and credited law enforcement for the 44-year low.
The 2010 figures are a preliminary update of the annual report "Crime in California 2009" released earlier this year.
The attorney general says in a news release that the number of homicides reported last year declined 9.6 percent from 2009.
KCBS' Melissa Culross Reports:
But gang-related homicides, which represent nearly 40 percent of all homicides in the state, jumped 18 percent last year.
Overall, violent crimes fell 6.4 percent. Forcible rape declined 6 percent, robbery dropped 8.9 percent and aggravated assault fell 4.6 percent.
(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services may have contributed to this report.)
