There were no homicides in Holyoke Massachusetts in 2012. It is the first time the city has gone an entire calendar year without a murder in at least a quarter century. WAMC”s Paul Tuthill reports
Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse and Police Chief James Neiswanger credit good police work, a crackdown on the drug trade, and the introduction of a mobile community policing unit as some of the reasons Holyoke has not had a homicide in more than 12 months. Morse said he wants the word to get out because public safety and economic development go hand in hand.
Holyoke had 4 homicides in 2011. Springfield had 12 homicides last year, the fewest in a decade.
