It sure seems like there has been an awful lot of murders in Los Angeles County since January. Every time I look at the newspaper or check out the nightly TV news, someone has been gunned down in a drive by shooting, stabbed to death in an alley, or set on fire.

In April, there were at least four murders in Los Angeles County during the 40-hour “murder moratorium” called for by civil rights activists to mark the 40th anniversary of the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

However, the LA County Coroner recently reported that there were 101 fewer murders in the first half of 2008 than there were in the first half of 2007. According to Assistant Chief Ed Winter, 470 homicides occurred in the first half of 2007 compared to 371 in 2008.

Here’s hoping the decrease continues till the end of the year.

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