CHICAGO — New policing strategies have resulted in less gun violence this May compared to 2012, police officials said Saturday.
Fifty people were murdered in Chicago in May 2012; 46 were murdered in May 2013.
There were also 68 fewer shootings in May, a 31 percent decrease, police said. There were about 227 shootings in May 2012 compared to about 159 in May 2013.
Police Supt. Garry McCarthy credited the drop to police strategies targeting gang violence and narcotics and "a return to community policing."
In addition to the monthly drop, police said there have been 71 fewer murders - a 34 percent drop - to date in this year than in 2012, a year that overall saw more than 500 killed.
Shootings are also down 28 percent this year, and overall crime is down 13 percent, police said.
"The significant drop in murders, shootings and overall crime throughout Chicago is real progress, but it's not victory," McCarthy in a statement.
