Crime Rate in Conn., U.S. at a 40-Year Low
The reason for the decline is a bit of a mystery to government officials, according to the Housatonic Times.
The Office of Policy and Management announced last week that crime in Connecticut, as well as the U.S., is at a 40-year low, according to the Housatonic Times.
Michael Lawlor, undersecretary for the OPM’s Criminal Justice Planning and Policy Division, who presented the report to the legislature's Judiciary Committee on Friday, said that it's unclear why crime rates in the country are on the decline, but it could be attributed to a number of factors, including the increased use of cell phone cameras.
In 2011, the number of arrests in Connecticut decreased by 11.4 percent compared to the three previous years. The number of repeat offenses has also dropped by 5 percent since 2007. Lawlor also announced that prison rates are steadily dropping with 700 fewer prisoners incarcerated in January 2012 compared to January 2011.
In Fairfield County, specifically, Stamford and Danbury made the list of the top 100 safest cities in the country, according to CQ Press's City Crime Rankings 2011-2012: Crime in Metropolitan America, an annual ranking of cities with populations over 75,000.
Related Topics: Connecticut, Prison, and crime rates
Tricia G.
8:21 pm on Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Hmm, Stamford is safer with a Republican mayor, rather than Malloy!
As for the state's other cities, the "number of arrests" declining, and "700 fewer prisoners"--I'm not sure that accurately reflects a true lower crime rate.
It sure does not seem so, with all the drug addicted robbers, the teachers and coaches sexually abusing/assaulting students, and state patrol/police caught with child pornography, etc--not to mention the kids killed in Bridgeport, New Haven etc.
Could it partly be due to crowded prisons and judges who give alternative sentencing, along with some cases not resulting in arrests because the perp is not caught, or dies in the commission of the crime?
S Tadik
12:22 pm on Thursday, February 16, 2012
If you want to understand the crime statistics quoted in this piece, the link below is the FBI’s interpretation and caution. There are many causes of crime. The numbers reflect reported arrests.
http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2010/crime-in-the-u.s.-2010/caution-against-ranking
The numbers are actually FBI 2010 numbers and represent arrests reported by police to the FBI. In addition to all the variables mentioned by the FBI, it is a sad fact that some municipalities game the system, so comparisons between municipalities whose numbers are close may be misleading.
There is always a tradeoff between strict crime enforcement and civil liberties. Ultimately, the will of the citizens and their willingness and ability to pay for enforcement determine the degree of enforcement, in most cases.
There are exceptions, though. For example, if police don’t want to stop drivers who are talking on non hands-free cell phones, it won’t happen. If the police want to enforce drunk driving laws, it will happen.
We live in a low-crime town. This is a good thing.