![Cleveland has seen an uptick in homicides in recent years. [carl ballou / Shutterstock.com]](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/29d6094/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3504x2336+0+0/resize/840x560!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F12%2F27%2Fpolice_crossing_tape_pic.jpg)
Cleveland police have recorded 131 homicides this year as of Friday the 23 rd. This marks the third year in a row that Cleveland’s homicide rate will pass 100—and it is up from last year. There were 120 reported homicides in 2015.
Other Ohio cities are waiting to see how they will fare this year, but it looks like Cleveland’s numbers will be much higher than its neighbors to the south. The latest data from the Cincinnati Police reported 61 homicides so far. And over a three-year period, from 2013 to 2015, Cleveland had an average of 103 homicides per year. That is compared to just 69 in Cincinnati and 94 in Columbus.
A police spokesman says the year’s final number could be higher after incidents that occurred over Christmas weekend and the remaining days of 2016 are vetted.
Previously, 134 reported homicides made 2007 Cleveland’s deadliest year of the decade.