Homicide rates decline in the Southland - LAPD notes a 22% drop and credits an increase in the number of officers on the streets.

As of Tuesday, there have been 201 homicides this year in the city of Los Angeles, 56 fewer than at the same time in 2006, a 22% drop.

Communities patrolled by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department also recorded double-digit declines. The Orange County Sheriff's Department has recorded four murders so far this year, a 20% reduction.

The trend also extended to medium-sized cities. Burbank and Glendale, for example, haven't recorded a single murder this year.

In San Bernardino, which for decades has struggled with high homicide numbers, police recorded 28 murders as of Tuesday, compared with 31 at this time last year, said Lt. Scott Paterson of the San Bernardino Police Department.

Throughout San Bernardino County, homicides were down roughly a quarter, from 42 to 32, as of last weekend, said Sgt. Rick Ells with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.

"You have ups and downs, but at this point it looks promising," said Ells, whose agency patrols dozens of communities across one of America's largest counties.

The drop in homicides is considered significant and somewhat curious, because it coincides with a much lower rate of decline for crime overall. In the city of Los Angeles with its 22% drop in homicides, for example, major crimes in general are down 3%.

"The most notable decrease has been in the number of homicides," said Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton.

But there was much debate about why there have been so many fewer killings this year.

Some officers said the Los Angeles Police Department has 300 more officers on the streets now than it did last year, the first result of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's effort to add 1,000 officers.

"They have actually made good on their promises," said LAPD homicide detective and novelist William Beall.

Orange County Sheriff's Department spokesman Ryan Burris attributed the homicide drop there to a strong commitment of money by the 11 cities that contract with the agency for law enforcement services.

"They help us with resources to ensure that we can keep people safe," Burris said.

Villaraigosa said a strategy of targeting 10 top gangs and their members, criticized by some, has paid off in fewer crimes and particularly fewer homicides.