Jun 9, 2008 6:43 pm US/Central
Police Report Drop In Violent Crime In Mpls.
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) ―
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Police officials think the cooler weather could be one factor in the reduced violence in 2008. However, they also credit department strategies for helping to keep a lid on crime. (File)
CBS
Minneapolis Police arrested the domestic partner of a murder victim on Monday after the suspect called 911.
Investigators aren't sure how long the man had been dead when they found him in an apartment above a barbecue joint on 38th Street East in south Minneapolis. Police reports show two prior calls to the same location for domestic problems in the past 10 days.
"It appears they were domestic partners. I'm not sure of the circumstances that led up to the homicide. Suppose we could say there was an argument of some type," said Minneapolis Police Sgt. Bill Palmer.
The 38th Street murder was the first one the city has seen in almost six weeks. It's only the 14th so far this year which is a big drop from the same period a year ago when the number was at 25.
It is not just murders that are down in the state's largest city. Minneapolis Police Department figures show a big drop in the number of aggravated assaults with 953 so far this year compared to 1,076 a year ago at this time.
Police officials think the cooler weather could be one factor in the reduced violence in 2008. However, they also credit department strategies for helping to keep a lid on crime.
"We have had some excellent efforts by our juvenile criminal apprehension team working on juvenile crime. And then our violent offender task force has been busy targeting some of the most violent people in the city," said Palmer.
St. Paul Police are also encouraged by a quieter murder trend so far in 2008. There have been six homicides this year. That compares with 17 for all of last year.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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