Is Chicago safer, or is it a mirage?

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VjJHkZR2w8&w=600&h=315]

Chicago has been almost the one-word association for U.S. violence over the past 30 months, but their 2013 data seems promising: crime's down 16 percent and homicides are down 18 percent. New York, Houston, and Los Angeles also saw pretty significant drops in 2013. Are our big cities gettin…