MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett is praising new crime numbers released Monday, Jan. 13, showing a 33-percent drop in homicides over the past five years.

CBS 58 went over the numbers last week with Police Chief Alfonso Morales. There were 145 murders in Milwaukee in 2015 and 97 last year. 

Mayor Barrett says it's still too many, pointing out how things have changed since the city was ranked in the top ten of America's most violent cities.

"By 2018, we dropped to number 17. Again, I would rather be number 117," Barrett said. "But we have to acknowledge that as we make progress, going from the top ten to number 17 is a significant change."

The mayor says that change is a sign the city is doing a better job of working together to reduce crime.