By the numbers: Trump's claim about Philly murder rate
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- President Donald Trump made mention of Philadelphia's murder rate in a speech on Thursday in Center City, drawing a sharp rebuke from City Hall.
Trump made the remarks while speaking to Republican leaders attending a GOP retreat.
"Here in Philadelphia the murder rate has been steady, I mean just terribly increasing," Trump said.
VIDEO: President Donald Trump's comments on Philadelphia's murder rate:
In a statement, Mayor Jim Kenney disputed Trump's claim, saying "Trump's false statements today were an insult to the men and women of the Philadelphia police force-the very same men and women who are working long hours today to ensure his safety."
How accurate was Trump's assessment? Numbers made available by Philadelphia police tell the story:
YEAR-TO-DATE:
So far this year (as of January 25), Philadelphia has had 27 homicides.
That's a 37 percent increase from the same date in 2016.
It's also higher than the same date each year going back to 2012, when there were 30 homicides by January 25.
FULL YEAR:
Looking at homicide numbers by year shows Philadelphia was down from 280 in 2015 to 277 in 2016.
However, that's higher than both 2014 and 2013, which had 248 homicides and 246 homicides, respectively. There were 331 homicides in 2012.
SOURCE: Crime stats released by Philadelphia police 2007-2017
All of those numbers are lower than 1990, when Philadelphia had 500 homicides. The city had more than 400 homicides from 1991 through 1997.
The last time Philadelphia had more than 400 homicides was 2006, when 406 people were killed.
SOURCE: Philadelphia Police murder analysis 2007 - 2010
