Crime drops in Connecticut

HARTFORD, Conn. – Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s senior criminal justice adviser reported positive statistics to the legislature’s Judiciary Committee on Friday at an annual briefing on Connecticut crime trends.

“It seems like it’s all very good news, all of the trends we’ve been monitoring are heading in the right direction,” Michael P. Lawlor told lawmakers.

Among the report’s highlights were a five-year, 11.2 percent drop in crimes reported to police, a reduction of the state’s prison population by 8.1 percent since 2010, and a 23.7 percent decline in arrests since 2009.

“That’s a very, very significant drop in the number of arrests for all crimes statewide — not just indexed crimes [crimes involving victims] but everything: possession of drugs, breach of peace, everything,” he said.

(According to CityData.com, violent crime in Norwalk has dropped from 272 per 100,000 in 2009 — 34 above the national average — to 172.9 in 2012, 41 below the national average. Property crime dropped from 194.7 in 2009 — about 90 below the national average — to 160 in 2012, 106.5 below the national average.)

See the complete story at CT News Junkie.