The numbers compare crime during the first four months of this year to the first four months of last year.

Police said they’ve seen significant drops in both violent and property crime. Violent crime is down by almost 27 percent, and the biggest drop comes in homicides. Police said they’ve investigated 13 homicides in 2009 compared to 31 in 2008.

Property crime is also down through April, by 24 percent. Police said that is due largely to a big drop in break-ins. Both home break-ins and commercial break-ins have dropped by more than 24 percent.

Police said one reason for the big decrease is better communication. Improvements to the department’s crime mapping system now allow officers to get information quickly and address crime problems soon after they happen.

RELATED: CMPD Crime Stats