Police chief: Crime in Houston down 4.4 percent last year

HOUSTON (AP) — Houston's police chief says crime in the nation's fourth largest city decreased by 4.4 percent in 2018, compared to 2017.

While officials say most categories of violent and non-violent crime were down, murders increased by 3.7 percent, from 269 in 2017 to 279 in 2018.

But Chief Art Acevedo said Monday that long term, crime in Houston is trending downward, "in the right direction."

Acevedo says the city saw a 10.4 percent decrease in violent crime, which he called "huge."

Acevedo says aggravated assaults fell by 11.3 percent: robberies dropped by 10.1 percent; and sexual assaults fell by 5.5 percent.

In the non-violent crime categories, burglaries were down 7.7 percent and thefts fell by 2.4 percent. But auto thefts were up by 2.3 percent.