City on pace to have fewer murders than last year

The city is on pace to have fewer murders this year than last year, ranking 2011 the year with the third-fewest murders ever.

Police commissioner Ray Kelly said there had been 496 murders in Gotham as of Thursday morning, according to NBC News. If that trend continues, the year would end with about 509 murders.

New York had 471 murders, a record low, in 2009.

Although the number of murders and burglaries are lower than last year, there have been more rapes and assaults this year, according to the most recent NYPD.

(Source: NYPD)