Police chief: Crime rise a return to normal from pandemic
DANBURY — An increase in crime over the past year may seem alarming, but the city’s police chief believes it’s a reflection of a return to normalcy since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We did see a significant increase in some categories — specifically theft, burglary and auto theft — when compared to the same time last year, but we have to remember that the city was pretty much in lockdown for the first quarter of last year due to the pandemic,” Chief Patrick Ridenhour said.
Uniform Crime Report data shows Danbury police investigated 133 thefts, 29 burglaries, 16 motor vehicle thefts, five assaults, five robberies and two forcible rapes during the first two months of 2022, compared to 75 thefts, seven burglaries, six motor vehicle thefts, three assaults, one robbery and one forcible rape in January and February 2021.
Although the January and February 2022 statistics were higher than those in 2021, Ridenhour said the number of recent incidents in Danbury have been “comparable to … when the city was in full operation” before the start of the pandemic in March 2020.
In January and February 2020, there were 113 thefts, 13 burglaries, six vehicle thefts, eight assaults, seven robberies and two arson incidents, according to Uniform Crime Report data.
Ridenhour said Danbury has seen a recent increase in commercial establishment burglaries.
“In most cases, there was more damage done by forced entry than there was in items taken,” he said, noting that many business owners have “done a good job of installing alarms, keeping little or no cash in the registers, and making it difficult to take items of significant value.”
In regards to recent automobile thefts — which continue to be a statewide problem, Ridenhour said — about half of them have involved unlocked vehicles with accessible keys.
“In some cases, the vehicle was left running and unattended,” he said.
Although Danbury’s March crime numbers have not yet been released due to slower than usual data verification processing at the state level, Ridenhour said the city’s unofficial crime data indicates motor vehicle thefts were still a problem last month.
In all but one case, he said, the vehicles were unlocked and either running or with keys accessible.
Monthly crime data is sent to the state for verification, after which they’re published in the Danbury Police Department’s monthly report to the City Council.
Ridenhour said he can’t say with absolute certainty, but he believes the city’s official March crime numbers will be “comparable to the last couple of years.”
More officers
In an effort to do more proactive policing and better community outreach, the Danbury Police Department is looking to not only fill current vacancies, but add more officers to its force.
“We are looking to hire more officers over the next couple of years, starting with six in next year’s budget,” Ridenhour said.
The additional personnel will also allow the department to better handle staffing challenges when officers are out for extended periods of time due to things like injury, illness or military deployment, according to the chief.
“We have solicited for currently certified officers recently and are working with the city’s human resources department to do an entry-level test very soon,” he said.