The month of February concluded yesterday, and the city of Chicago recorded just 14 homicides for the month. That's half the number of murders the city experienced in February 2012, and just under a third of January's 43 murders. The latter is the highest number of murders that Chicago had experienced since 2002.
According to Loyola University criminologist Art Lurigio, there were several factors that helped the murder rate drop significantly during the month of February. They include the national attention Hadiya Pendleton's murder received, President Obama's visit to discuss violence with high school students and the work of Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy.
At the same time, Chicago magazine's Whet Moser pointed out that the city's murder rate always tends to drop during February and March. There's also the running theory that homicides increase during the warmer months.
Spring begins in just a few weeks, so here's to hoping that history doesn't repeat itself.