Despite the lousy economy, crime is down in Philadelphia almost across the board -- homicides, robberies, assaults, vehicle theft. You name it. (The exceptions are burglaries and rapes among the so-called Part One major crimes.) Mayor Nutter and Police Commission Charles Ramsey announced the
news yesterday (Jan. 5) The decline in homicides is especially good news for the mayor. Murder has gone down two years in a row: from 392 in 2007, to 333 in 2008 and 305 in 2009. Nutter was elected in part because of his promise to bring down the murder rate in town.
