We’re not exactly sure how to interpret this number, but we know it’s not good.

Through Oct. 28, the Tucson Police Department had recorded 61 homicides this year.

That’s the highest number of homicides within the city limits since 1995, and we still have two months to go in 2008.

The city is on a pace for more than 70 homicides. That would be the most since 1980, when TPD began keeping statistics as part of its Official Uniform Crime Report database.

Of course, the city’s growing population plays a part in the number of homicides. In 1995, when 65 homicides occurred, our population was 449,682. That year, 1 Tucsonan out of about every 7,000 was a homicide victim.

This year, if the trend continues, 1 Tucsonan of about every 7,800 would be a homicide victim – the second-highest rate on record.

Many of the homicides are thought to be linked to drugs or gangs. That’s no solace. Tucson always has prided itself on a quality of life superior to that of America’s dangerous big cities.

Statistics such as these make us wonder if that pride is misplaced.

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