Los Angeles’ violent-crime rates are four times lower now than they were 1992. The interesting thing is, nobody can really explain why.

As of December 25, last year, only 293 homicides were reported in LA, along with 781 rapes, 10,734 robberies, and 9,129 aggravated assaults. In 1992, that blood-soaked year of the Rodney King Riots, Los Angeles saw 1,092 murders, 1,861 rapes, 39,222 robberies, and 47,736 aggravated assaults.
These figures echo a nationwide trend. ‘Crime Rate at 20-Year Low Level,’ reads a February 24 headline in the Frederick, Maryland News Post. ‘Major Crime at 39-Year Low in Elgin,’ the Chicago Tribune crowed on February 22. ‘Fresno’s Murder Rate Is Drastically Down in 2011,’ announced that California’s town’s ABC-TV affiliate on February 23. Such headlines are typical these days. Crime’s down. What’s up?

Theories abound. Various agencies, such as the office of LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, credit themselves with the shift. But in the din of the applause, some of these theories and claims cancel each other out.

Noting that LA in 1992 ‘was like a war zone,’ LAPD Sgt. Joe Kuns remembers how, that year, no one in their right mind strolled the downtown intersection of First and Main streets for fun […]