[BTW, that's one tough town you live in, Wojtek:]
February 9, 2005 Baltimore Streets Meaner, but Message Is Mixed By JAMES DAO
BALTIMORE, Feb. 7 - ... After trending downward from a record 353 in 1993, homicides in Baltimore have ticked back up since 2002. They hit 278 last year, putting Baltimore in line for the title of deadliest big city in the nation, with a homicide rate three times greater than Los Angeles and five times greater than New York.
Last month, the city posted its bloodiest January since 1973, with 32 killings.
The high rate - as other cities, including Washington, are reporting fewer homicides - has fueled hand-wringing by city officials, criticism by civic groups and new strategies by the Police Department. But it has also posed an intriguing riddle for criminologists. Even as the murder rate has crept back up, officials say, the overall crime rate has steadily fallen. Can a city be safer, yet deadlier, at the same time? ...
<http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/09/national/09baltimore.html>
Carl