2007 Crime Statistics Show Mixed Results

By Andrew Gorosko

Crime statistics for 2007 compiled by town police show both decreases and increases in various categories of local crime.

The statistics indicate decreases in robbery, burglary, larceny, and motor vehicle theft. The statistics also indicate increases in rape, aggravated assault, and arson.

The police department keeps the crime statistics for submission to the FBI, which compiles such information from law enforcement agencies across the nation in analyzing crime trends.

Based on his review of crime statistics for the past nine years, Police Chief Michael Kehoe said there is much variation in the statistics from year to year.

In 2007, police received reports of 158 larcenies, compared to 205 larcenies that were reported to them in 2006, indicating a 23 percent drop in that category.

During the period from 1999 to 2005, the number of larcenies ranged from a low of 141 in 2001 to a high of 237 2003.

In 2007, police received reports of 34 burglaries, down significantly from the 57 burglaries that were reported to them in 2006, reflecting a 40 percent drop in that category.

Police received only four reports of motor vehicle theft in 2007, marking the lowest incidence in that crime since 1999, when 18 reports of motor vehicle theft were received. Such theft has been decreasing since 1999.

Chief Kehoe said that the decreasing motor vehicle theft may be attributed to a variety of factors, including public education about vehicle theft prevention, owners securing their vehicles against theft, and automakers manufacturing vehicles that are more secure against theft.

“It’s a preventable type of crime,” Chief Kehoe said.

Sometimes motor vehicle theft is a crime of opportunity, which occurs because a vehicle’s owner has not taken the trouble to secure that vehicle, Chief Kehoe said.

During 2007, police received four reports of rape, according to the statistics, which is up from one report of rape in 2006. Between 1999 and 2005, the number of rapes reported to police in a given year ranged from no cases of rape in 2000 to four cases of rape in 2001.

In 2007, police received no reports of robbery, compared to three reports in 2006.

Police investigated no murders in 2007. During the nine-year statistical period, one murder each occurred in 1999 and in 2005.

Police listed four cases of aggravated assault, or serious assault, in 2007, compared to one case of that crime in 2006. Since 1999, the highest incidence of aggravated assault occurred in 2004, when ten cases were reported to police.

During 2007, police received two reports of arson, compared to one instance of such crime in 2006. In each of the three years preceding 2006, four cases of arson were reported.

Because the annual crime statistics in a town the size of Newtown vary widely in various categories, it is difficult to generalize about crime trends locally, Chief Kehoe said. “It’s up and down,” he said of the variation in the crime statistics from year to year.

During 2007, while on patrol, Newtown police issued 2,194 motor vehicle violations, which include infraction tickets as well as misdemeanor summonses, the police chief said. During the nine-year reporting period, the lowest number of such violations came in 2000 with 1,380 violations issued, and the highest number came in 2006 with 2,323 violations handed out.

In 2007, town police issued 1,875 written warnings to motorists, which is the highest number of written warnings issued in a single year during the nine-year statistical period.

During the past several years, the police department has focused on drunken driving enforcement as a priority, conducting numerous sobriety checkpoints and roving patrols in seeking to apprehend intoxicated motorists.

Last year, police made 82 arrests against motorists on charges of driving under the influence, compared to 102 such arrests in 2006, reflecting an almost 20 percent drop in such charges.

During 2007, police had 18,711 calls for service, representing about 51 calls for service daily. In 2006, police received 18,964 calls for service.

The nine-year reporting period for statistics from 1999 to 2007 reflects the time during which Chief Kehoe has headed the police department.