OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - Authorities say the San Francisco Bay Area city of Oakland recorded its lowest number of murders in nearly two decades with 68 homicides in 2018.
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf announced Thursday that overall, major crimes declined 11 percent from the previous year. She said that home burglaries and auto thefts were also down.
The 68 homicides in 2018 are the lowest since 1999 when there were 60 killings.
Schaaf and other leaders credit the drops in crime to better community relations and a city initiative called Operation Ceasefire, which tries to reduce gang- and other group-related gun violence.
Oakland has a population of about 400,000 people.
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