By NICK SLOAN, NJSloan212@gmail.com
There have been 12 homicides this year in Kansas City, Kan., in 2012.
At this time last year, there were 20, meaning homicides are down by 40 percent so far this year.
Along with the fewer homicides, the police department has also solved more of them than on average. The clearance rate of the homicides this year in Kansas City, Kan., has been around 80 percent, according to a KCKPD news release.
Generally, police departments across the country report a 60-65 percent clearance rate for homicide cases - meaning someone has been arrested and the crime has been solved.
“We attribute that success to the commitment of our community partners and to the strong relationships that the department has developed over the last decade with its citizenry,” according to the KCKPD release.
The police department also says violent crime is down overall.
So far in 2012, there's been 487 reported incidents of what's considered violent crime, most notably cases of rape, battery, assault and robberies.
At this point in 2011, there were 566 reported incidents, resulting in a 14 percent decline.
