08/30/2010 03:00pm -- While there has been a slow decrease in the amount of violent crime nationwide, residents in Charleston, West Virginia, have seen an increase in the number of homicides in each of the last two years, the Charleston Gazette reports.

The city's police chief told the paper that while there were just four homicides in the city in 2008, that number has steadily increased. In 2009, there were six murders, and there were 10 in just the first eight months of 2010, a fact which has some residents installing home security systems.

Part of the increase, according to the Gazette, is due to an increase in crimes by youths. Teenagers have been charged in seven of the last 25 homicides in the city.

"Often rises in homicide rates are part of a larger trend," Laura Dugan, an associate professor of criminology and criminal justice at the University of Maryland, told the paper. "As the recession continues to stress out communities, illegal means of obtaining income grows. This often affects the homicide rate, especially if youth are involved."

According to the FBI, the violent crime rate in the country has dropped in recent months. From January to June of last year, violent crime dropped 4.4 percent.