BATON ROUGE (AP) — Police statistics show that 75 people were murdered in Baton Rouge last year — apparently a record for the city.

The previous record was 74 killings in 1993.

Police spokesman Don Kelly says the count released Friday is preliminary, but should be final in a few weeks.

The new count represents about a 12 percent increase over 67 people murdered in 2008.

Another 11 murders outside the city limits were handled last year by the East Baton Rouge Parish sheriff.

Louisiana State University criminologist Edward Shihadeh blames the increased killings on the economy and stiff competition for low-paying jobs. He also points out that the Baton Rouge area has grown rapidly in recent years.

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Information from: The Advocate, http://www.2theadvocate.com