Homicides in Pittsburgh last year were down by 5 percent to 55 victims, 11 of whom were killed in the Tree of Life Synagogue shootings. In 2017, there were 58 homicides in the city.
Pittsburgh has established a clear downward trend.
“Since 2014, every year we have now seen a decrease in the number of homicides that have occurred in this city. That includes last year and that includes the horrific events that happened at Tree of Life,” Mayor Bill Peduto said. Peduto praised what the city’s police bureau and the Department of Public Safety have done.

The staffing of more officers and use of better technology — including more surveillance cameras and expanded coverage for ShotSpotter — were being credited for the improvements shown in all of the statistics including the success rate in clearing or solving homicides which was 71 percent in 2018, vs. less than 5o percent the year before. .