Detroit has fewest homicides in 41 years

DETROIT, Jan. 1 (UPI) -- Detroit police say citizen cooperation last year may have played a role in the city marking its lowest number of homicides since 1967.

Detroit Police spokesman James Tate said as of the last day of 2008, the city's unofficial homicide toll sat at 344, a significant decrease from the 396 homicides the city endured in 2007, The Detroit News said Thursday.

"That's an unofficial total; last year at this time we had 401 homicides listed, but we ended with an official total of 396," Tate said, adding official figures would likely not be released for months.

The police official said increased cooperation with police by Detroit residents likely help lower the homicide total, along with police arresting key suspects throughout the year.

"We're getting these people with multiple offenses off the street who have the potential to kill others," Tate told the News.

"We can't take all the credit for ourselves," he added. "When you get citizen cooperation, that's vitally important to getting these violent criminals off the streets."