FBI: State has second-largest drop in violent crime in 2019
Violent crime in Connecticut declined by 12.5 percent in 2019, the second-largest drop in the country behind New Hampshire, according to the latest FBI crime report.
The FBI Uniform Crime Reporting program contains information on incidents reported by law enforcement agencies on violent crimes of murder and non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery and aggravated assault, in addition to property crimes of burglary, larceny theft, motor vehicle theft and arson.
Connecticut saw declines in all categories except for murder and non-negligent manslaughter, which rose by 20 percent between 2018 and 2019.
There was a 27 percent decline in violent crime in Danbury and Norwalk. Danbury had 97 incidents last year compared with 133 in 2018. In Norwalk, there were 69 fewer incidents last year compared with 2018 when there were 252.
Danbury Police Chief Patrick Ridenhour said he was “pleased” to see the reduction in violent crime.
“There are always going to be hiccups from time to time, but I am pleased with the work of our patrol and investigative divisions who work tirelessly to keep our community safe,” Ridenhour said.
Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton credited the decline in 2019 partly to economics.
“Our economy was roaring, our unemployment was at an all-time low,” Boughton said. “People were busy. When they’re busy, they don’t have time for crime.”
Boughton also attributed the fall in crime to community policing, something he pointed out is also happening in Norwalk.
Norwalk Police Chief Thomas Kulhawik attributed declining violent crime rates in his city to “a number of factors,” including his department’s outreach efforts in community policing and community engagement.
Kulhawik said social media, in particular, has helped to “not only solve crimes, but also to gain the public’s help preventing it.”
“While some of this is the result of circumstances outside our control, I do credit the officers and investigators with their diligence in responding to and fully investigating the crimes reported to us, as well as the focus on the community, and am happy to see their efforts have resulted in the continued reduction of overall crime,” Kulhawik said.
Bridgeport had an 11 percent decrease in violent crime with 843 cases in 2019 compared with 945 in 2018. However, homicides are on the rise in the state’s largest city. Bridgeport had a 55 percent increase in homicides with 17 in 2019 compared with 11 in
2018. In 2020, Bridgeport already has 18 homicides.
New Haven also experienced a surge in homicides last year with a total of 13 — 30 percent more than the previous year. In New Haven, there were 1,105 violent crimes in
2018 compared with 1,168 — a
6 percent increase — in 2019. Hartford had the most homicides in the state with 21 in both 2018 and 2019.
While violent crime was down overall in Connecticut, some cities saw increases.
In 2019, Stamford had 264 violent crimes — a 21 percent increase from the previous year.
Stamford had the largest increase in murders with five in 2019 — 66 percent more than the previous year.
Not included in the FBI crime report was the death and disappearance of Jennifer Dulos, who vanished after she was last seen returning to her New Canaan home on May 24,
2019.
In January, state police charged her estranged husband, Fotis Dulos with murder, despite never recovering her remains. He died later that month in an apparent suicide.
New Canaan Police Chief Leon Krolikowski said the homicide was not included in the 2019 FBI crime report because the 50-year-old mother’s disappearance was not ruled a homicide until this year.
“New Canaan is incredibly safe,” Krolikowski said, based on the data. “The vast majority of crime, save for a tiny percentage, is property crime, and that property crime is preventable.”
Overall, the steepest declines in the state were in burglaries and property crimes, both of which were among the biggest reductions in the country.
For burglaries, there were declines of 21 percent in Middletown, 14 percent in Stamford, 12 percent in New Haven, 9.5 percent in Norwalk and 6 percent in Bridgeport.
Greenwich and Danbury, however, saw an uptick in burglaries. Greenwich’s 65 burglaries in 2019 was 17 more than the previous year. The number of burglaries rose 3 percent in Danbury, the FBI numbers show.
Property crimes declined 15 percent in Stamford, 13 percent in Bridgeport, 10 percent in Danbury, 7 percent in Norwalk, 5 percent in Middletown and 3 percent in New Haven. However, Greenwich saw a 19 percent increase in property crimes.
Stamford had the sharpest decline in motor-vehicle thefts
with 32 percent fewer in 2019. In 2018, there were 237 vehicles stolen compared with 161 last year. In Greenwich, the 58 stolen vehicles in 2019 was a 6 percent reduction from the previous year.
Meanwhile, New Haven had a 7 percent increase in motor-vehicle thefts and Norwalk had a 6 percent
increase.
The federal report does not contain information on crime during the pandemic. There is no uniform database on statewide crime that is updated in real time, but arrests and admissions to prisons and jails have declined significantly since the onset of COVID-19.
Michael P. Lawlor, an associate professor at the University of New Haven who served as under secretary of criminal justice policy and planning under former Gov. Dannel Malloy, said the new data is the result of reforms passed in recent years to shrink the criminal justice system and reduce crime, including raising the age for being included
in the adult criminal justice system.
That meant 16- and 17-yearolds were removed from the adult system, lowering penalties for drug possession and offering diversionary programs for people with mental health conditions.
“What you’re seeing is a combination of best practices that have been employed over the last 10 years, all of which were focused on reducing crime,” Lawlor said. “It is just the cumulative effect of all these evidence-based, datadriven reforms and practices and funding.”