Crime & Safety
Wilkinsburg Has Second Highest 2012 Homicide Rate in County
Allegheny County Medical Examiner Karl Williams said this is the first time on record that there have been more murders in the county's suburbs outside Pittsburgh than within the city's borders.
Wilkinsburg had 12 homicides in 2012, the highest number in a single municipality outside the City of Pittsburgh.
KDKA-TV reports there were 96 homicides in Allegheny County in 2012, 42 of which occurred in City of Pittsburgh—compared to 54 in suburban Allegheny County. Law enforcement officials say that's a sign that criminal elements are moving into untapped regions.
Homicides in the county were up 32 percent over 2011, according to WTAE-TV. There was a 62 percent increase in suburban homicides last year, the station reports.
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