The city of Detroit is on-track to see its fewest yearly homicides in nearly six decades, officials said Monday.

Through Nov. 30, Detroit had recorded 228 homicides — an 18% decrease over the same period last year. In 2018, Detroit had 261 homicides, the fewest number since 1966, when there were 214 homicides.

CHARGING ELECTRIC CARS COULD BE A LOT EASIER WITH THIS NEW TECH DETROIT IS TESTING TO RESTORE ON THE GO

Officials credit a partnership between the city, Wayne County and the state that improves coordination among agencies and courts. It also has resulted in a 36% drop in carjackings and 13% decrease in non-fatal shootings, they said.

The coalition was formed in late 2021 by County Executive Warren Evans and Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan to improve the local criminal justice system following disruptions from the coronavirus pandemic. Officials said the COVID-19 outbreak caused court dockets to back up, forced jails to release prisoners due to lack of space and made it difficult for police and the prosecutor’s office to fill vacant positions.

“We are seeing record drops in gun violence in Detroit because every single part of the criminal justice system is getting past COVID obstacles and is now working again,” Duggan said.

A joint fugitive apprehension unit between the city and sheriff’s office caught nearly 1,000 people wanted on outstanding felony warrants. Gun crimes were given priority.

A backlog of felony gun cases in Wayne County Circuit Court was cut from more than 4,000 in January 2022 to 1,330 through the end of last month. More than 2,000 pending pre-trial felony gun cases in Detroit’s 36th District Court in January 2022 were reduced to 415.

Detroit added 200 additional officers to its ranks this year, while the Wayne County sheriff’s office has begun to fill 200 vacancies. Pay was increased at both departments and at the county prosecutor’s office.

Prosecutors also were placed at Detroit Public Safety Headquarters, improving communication with the city’s homicide investigators.

“This collaboration is unique in that issues are identified, solutions discussed, and these solutions are implemented,” Prosecutor Kym Worthy said in a news release. “It is not just talk, talk, talk. The people at the table are the decision makers and significant work is done at each meeting.”

Pre-season games have traditionally offered NFL teams chances to generate additional ad revenue via commercials and brand partnerships. However, recent adjustments to the NFL schedule have led to a reduction in the number of pre-season games to three games per team, consequently limiting the inventory available for teams to capitalize on monetization opportunities.

To address this issue, the Detroit Lions have taken a proactive approach by introducing an additional channel for its local NFL broadcast. This move aims to expand advertising opportunities, utilize direct-to-consumer distribution, and forge stronger connections with local fans, to ultimately boost pre-season viewership.

The Milwaukee Bucks are playing their best basketball of the season at exactly the right time. Adrian Griffin’s team is 10-2 in its last 12 games following Tuesday’s blowout 146-122 victory over the New York Knicks, a win that punched its ticket to the in-season tournament semifinals in Las Vegas.

Ahead of Thursday’s highly anticipated matchup with Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers, though, Griffin is already guarding against his team letting down in Sin City. How? By reminding Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard and company of the historic stakes that await them.

“We know it’s a business trip,” Griffin said after the game, per Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “We still have to win two games.”

Lillard expressed extreme confidence in the Bucks’ trajectory after taking down the Knicks. He and Antetokounmpo combined for 63 points on just 35 shots against the Knicks, just part of a team-wide offensive onslaught that also included red-hot 23-of-28 shooting from deep—not just 60.5% shooting, but the most three-pointers any team has made in a single game this season.

Milwaukee’s lackluster defense reared its head again on Tuesday, though, surrendering 41 points to Julius Randle as the Knicks racked up a 119.6 offensive rating, just below the Philadelphia 76ers’ second-ranked league-wide mark. Who owns the best offense in basketball? Haliburton’s Pacers, and it’s not particularly close. Their 123.6 offensive rating is nearly four points per 100 possessions better than Philly’s, more than the difference between the Sixers’ and 10th-ranked Boston Celtics’ number.

Expect the Bucks try and buckle down against Indiana, the NBA Cup and $500,000 worth of prize money per player on the line. With Griffin’s encouragement and those factors at play, maybe Milwaukee will finally play the type of title-worthy defense that’s been the hallmark of Antetokounmpo’s recent reign.