Crime falls once again - Danbury News Times

Photo: Brian A. Pounds / Hearst Connecticut Media

Image 1of/1

Caption

Image 1 of 1

Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton

Photo: Brian A. Pounds / Hearst Connecticut Media

DANBURY - Crime was down 10 percent in the first four months of the year compared to the same period in 2016, police said, bolstering Danbury’s reputation as one of the safest cities in the state.

A total of 347 crimes in eight major categories, including rape, burglary, and motor vehicle theft, were committed from January through April, compared to 387 in the same period last year, department statistics show.

The year-over-year reduction follows consecutive years of double-digit decreases: In 2016, major crime dropped 10 percent from 2015, which was already down 12 percent from the year before.

The mayor and police chief were both quick to credit the city’s healthy economy and Danbury’s low unemployment rate for the drop in major crime.

More Information

Crime was down 10 percent in eight categories for the first four months of 2017, compared to the same period in 2016. There were a total of 347 major crimes from January through April, a decrease of 40 crimes over the same period in 2016.

Crime 2016 2017

Homicide 0 0

Forcible rape 8 2

Robbery 15 16

Assault 5 20

Burglary 37 15

Theft 287 271

Motor vehicle theft 35 23

Arson 0 0

Total 387 347

Source: Danbury Police Department

“Our local economy is really roaring right now, and when people are finding work and decent-paying jobs, the pressure to commit crime is relieved,” Mayor Mark Boughton said. “I have always said there is a nexus between the unemployment rate and the crime rate.”

In April, Danbury’s unemployment rate was 4 percent, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. The statewide unemployment rate for April was 4.9 percent. In nearby cities for the same month, Waterbury’s unemployment rate was 6 percent, and both Bridgeport’s and New Haven’s unemployment rate was 4.6 percent.

Police Chief Patrick Ridenhour credited good interaction between officers and the city’s diverse neighborhoods.

“I think overall if we establish a good relationship with people, and we are vigilant about being present in all the sectors of the city and the downtown, it makes people think twice about doing crime,” Ridenhour said. “You can add that we have good people in the city - and the fact that there is low unemployment, and people are working.”

The latest numbers, which were reported to the City Council on Tuesday, come at a challenging time for the police department, where officers are retiring faster than they can be replaced.

The police department posted a humorous recruitment video May 30 on its Facebook page in an attempt to encourage new applications. The 155-member department hopes to hire as many as 10 officers this year, which would bring its staffing level to 148 officers.

The recruitment video had 93,000 views on Facebook on Wednesday.

“We wanted to leave the audience with the feeling, ‘You know, I think I can do that job,” Ridenhour said. “We wanted to show that the job is about how we connect to the community and how we relate to each other.”

The lower crime numbers also come at a time of growth for Danbury, the state’s fastest-growing city for the second year in a row.

“This is a continuation of the trend we have been seeing,” Boughton said. “Our police department works hard.”

rryser@newstimes.com; 203-731-3342

Let's block ads! (Why?)