The homicide rate in Los Angeles is the lowest it's been since 1967.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced there were 297 homicides in Los Angeles last year, a huge drop from the more than 1,000 slayings in 1992, the height of a massive drug epidemic.

"This achievement is particularly noteworthy given the state of the economy," he said at a news conference. "You walk down downtown, you go to Hollywood, we all know — this isn't hyperbole. It's a changed place."

(READ the story from NPR News)