Boston only reports two homicides as the nation rebounds from pandemic measures and grapples with rising crime rates

Boston looks to have cracked the code on crime as the city reported it has only recorded two homicides as of March 31, leading the nationwide trend of plummeting homicide rates.

This year, cities across the country are on pace to see the lowest homicide rate since 2014 — the lowest year on record for homicides since the 1960s. From the start of this year through March, homicide rates across 133 cities have dropped by around 20% when compared to the same period in 2023, according to crime-data analyst Jeff Asher.

“There’s just a ton of places that you can point to that are showing widespread, very positive trends,”  Asher told the Wall Street Journal. “Nationally, you’re seeing a very similar situation to what you saw in the mid-to-late ’90s. But it’s potentially even larger in terms of the percentages and numbers of the drops.”

While blue cities and states have started to address resident concerns by turning to tough-on-crime policies, the trends this year might stand apart from whatever public policy choices leaders are making.

Homicide rates are returning to pre-pandemic levels. In 2020, the number of homicides rose to 30%, making it the largest single-year increase ever recorded by the FBI.

COVID-19 had deleterious effects on the public’s health and safety. Crime soared during the months of lockdowns, experts said, due to factors ranging from jails and prisons not being able to function properly to police officers shying away from stiff enforcement as they dealt with the fallout of the murder of George Floyd.

As of April 9, 2024, there have been 75 homicides in Philadelphia, a 34% drop when compared to 2023 at the same time. Homicide rates have been trending downward, with the city recording 514 in 2022, and in 2023, the number fell to 410.

However, leaders aren’t relying solely on recovering from the pandemic to right the ship.

Back in February, the Philadelphia police force launched the “Mobile Surge Team,” which deploys extra officers on Friday and Saturday nights to areas known to be violent crime spots.

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For the first half of 2022, New Orleans had the highest homicide rate in the country, but now the city has recorded a 39% drop through April 10 when compared to the same period in 2023.

Taking office this year, Gov. Jeff Landry (R-LA) is seeking to ensure that violent crime trends downward by pushing for a new state police force in New Orleans. The city, which is experiencing police shortages, received in April $3.3 million in federal funding for criminal justice initiatives.