Murder rates continue to fall in LA County, and this report in the LA Times attributes the decline to factors such as early gang intervention, more people in jail, and the apparently vanishing drug epidemic.
But I've wondered for a long time if there is any correlation between crime rates at home and wars abroad? Are there fewer murders at home when many of the country's young men are gone? Conversely, does the rate increase during peace time?
Would be an interesting investigation, and I hope someone takes it on...And no, this is not a slam on the military, or young men...