While various medium-size cities were rocked by a record number of homicides, certain major cities, while still enduring high murder rates, were well down from their worst years. Chicago had 771 homicides last year, compared with about 500 in 2019 and 939 in 1992, one of the city’s most violent years. There were 351 homicides last year in Los Angeles, versus 258 in 2019; its record is 1,010 in 1980. They point to states like Tennessee, where state and local bail reform is still being debated; the F.B.I. figures for Memphis show a record 289 murders in 2020, up from 190 a year earlier.

Source: New York Times September 27, 2021 15:56 UTC