American Notes HOMICIDE

If the U.S. is fighting a war on drugs, drugs appear to be winning. In at least seven major cities, new homicide records were set in 1989, in some cases breaking standards established only twelve months ago, and many of the killings were drug-related. New York City, as usual, had the most murders -- 1,773 by late November, 19 more than in 1988 -- though less than the record 1,896 reached in 1988. Washington, D.C., led the list on a per capita basis, with at least 433 killings for its population of 629,000, vs. 369 murders last year. Philadelphia; New Orleans; Kansas City, Mo.; Milwaukee; Charlotte, N.C.; and New Haven have also logged record numbers of slayings.

Experts almost unanimously blame drugs for the homicide surge. "What's different now than in the late '70s and early '80s?," asks New York Assistant Police Chief Raymond Kelly. "Crack."