The numbers don't lie ... or do they?

Well, Youngstown finished up 2008 with 28 homicides, 11 less than the 39 recorded in 2007, despite an arson in January that killed six people.

There were surges of violence during the year, but 2008 seemed almost placid compared to other years. For the most part, the almost daily reports of someone hearing gunfire or finding bullet holes or shell casings in their homes or cars or on the street have decreased dramatically.

Police decided to crack down on high crime areas with increased patrols, and the strategy seemed to work for the most part (we will not be completly sure until the final numbers are announced, probably sometime later this month).

But I wonder if the gunfire and other violence is still present, yet residents fail to call because they are immune to the problem. I have heard several times in the past someone who says gunfire is so common in their neighborhood that they don't report it.

One thing is for certain: starting out the year with six homicides in one day and then ending up with 12 less than the year before is progress. The question is, how can it be sustained?