Crime in Sacramento fell by 8 percent last year.  FBI stats show drops in every category except one: homicides, which rose by more than 10 percent.  So far this year, the overall crime rate has continued to fall – and homicides are down by half.  So why the trend?  Spokesman Norm Leong says the department is making street patrols its highest priority during the city’s budget crisis.
 
Leong: “We’ve increased our patrol staffing to the highest number that we’ve ever had, and we’ve kind of taken away from other areas in order to maintain that level – despite being 100 officers down.”
 
The flip side is that the department cut the number of detectives and other specialty units – so investigations often take longer.
 
One crime category has gone up significantly in 2009: sexual assaults have doubled.  Leong says the suspects have frequently been the victims’ family or friends.  He’s urging some general safety tips, like staying in groups and drinking responsibly.