Murder rate falling in Cincinnati

CINCINNATI (AP) - A newspaper reports that the murder rate in Cincinnati has declined for the second year in a row.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that it's the first time the city has seen two straight years of declines since the early 1990s.

The city saw 53 homicides this year, compared with 66 in 2011. That's a drop of almost 20 percent.

Police officials, residents and outside experts say the drop is due to several factors. They include the resurrection of a community-driven police program, new and fortified relationships among city police and other public and private agencies, and improvements to emergency medical services in the region.

With 88 killings, 2006 was the city's deadliest year on record.