The State : State Murder Rate Declines

California had fewer murders in 1987 than in the previous year, to continue a decline that began in 1980, Atty. Gen. John K. Van de Kamp reported. He said the overall drop might have been greater if it were not for an increase in gang- and drug-related killings. His Bureau of Criminal Statistics reported that there were 2,929 willful homicides in the state in 1987, compared to 3,030 in 1986. That represented a 5.4% decline in the per-capita homicide rate, from 11.2 killings per 100,000 population to 10.6. In 1980, a record 3,405 people were slain in the state, or 14.3 per 100,000 population. There were 312 gang-related killings and 238 drug-related slayings in the state in 1987, nearly three times the number in those categories in 1978.