ATLANTA (AP) - Atlanta police say the city last year recorded the second fewest homicides in 50 years.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Friday that 85 homicides were recorded in Atlanta in 2012, which was down from 88 the year before. Police say overall crime dropped 5 percent.
In 2009, the city saw 80 homicides — which police records show was the lowest recorded since 1963. Federal data has shown a gradual decline in violent crime rates nationally.
The FBI audits crime statistics from police departments across the country each year to produce its own report that is released later in the year.
According to the FBI, Atlanta recorded 1,433 violent crimes per every 100,000 residents in 2011.
