There was plenty of bad news in 2019, but in the good news column the homicide count in San Francisco hit its lowest number since 1963: 41.

Midway through the year it looked like the city was on track for a historic dip in homicides, and the trend held true through the year's end on Tuesday. As SFPD Deputy Chief David Lazar tells the Examiner, "One homicide is too many, but the fact that we have had less rather than more is good."

As recently as 2007 the city counted around 100 homicides per year, and back in 1993 there were 129 murders in a single year. With 41 killings this year, the homicide rate is down 11 percent over 2018, when there were 46.

Violent crime was down 8 percent overall, compared to last year, and as the Chronicle reports, the SFPD credits "a strategy by law enforcement and community groups to focus resources on crime-challenged neighborhoods."

"I’m really proud of the work the city has done to invest in violence prevention programs," said Mayor London Breed, speaking to the Chronicle. "It is a collaborative approach toward keeping the numbers down and hopefully getting to a better place over time."

Additionally, the SFPD marked a 71 percent homicide clearance rate, meaning that 71 percent of murder cases were solved this year.

Here's hoping for less violent 2020.