Homicide rate on track to be worst in a decade

With more than 300 homicides since January, Houston is on pace to record nearly 400 slayings for the year - which would be the highest number of killings the city has seen in more than a decade.

As of Oct. 16, the city had recorded 316 homicides, up 25 percent from the 252 slayings at this time last year. The Houston Police Department said an uptick in homicides by Hurricane Katrina evacuees has contributed to that increase.

“We recognize that the homicide rate is up as far as raw numbers and as well as percentages relative to the population,” said Capt. Dwayne Ready. “We also recognize that Katrina evacuees continue to have an impact on the murder rate.”

Though overall crime is slightly down for the year, the police department has had a difficult time reining in the rising homicide rate. But it’s still not time to panic, police said.

“The homicide rate has been much higher in years past, especially the 1980s,” Ready said. “Even if the number … for 2006 hits 400 it’s not a bleak picture for Houston.”

The city’s homicide rate declined throughout the 1990s. In 1991 there were 608 homicides. The rate steadily dropped from 465 in 1992, to 254 in 1998 - a far cry from 1981, the year the city was dubbed the murder capital of the United States when it tallied 701 homicides.

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Homicide rate on track to be worst in a decade
Houstan Chronical