Someone asked at the Community Forum whether crime was really down.
If you want to check for yourself, you can go to the state web site, then under Departments & Agencies go to the Department of Law & Safety, Office of the Attorney General and from there to the Division of State Police and finally to Uniform Crime Reports.
Well, maybe not finally - you still have to get the Plainfield report out of a very long list of municipalities. Hint: It's on Page 512 of the report, though the page itself is numbered 511.
Anyway, once you get there, you will see categories of crime and year-over-year numbers, along with a comparison to New Jersey totals. So yes, you can see that for Plainfield Total Crime dropped by 6.1 percent, the Crime Index dropped by 8.1 percent, Violent Crime was down by 15.5 percent and Non-Violent Crime was down by 5.7 percent. So lift a drink of water, soda, juice or what former Police Chief John Driscoll used to call an "adult beverage" and make a toast to the Queen City on National Night Out!
These percentages are based on figures for Jan.-Dec. 2013 vs. Jan.-Dec. 2014. Some quarterly figures for 2015 are also posted and for the first half of 2014 compared to the first half of 2015, figures show even higher percentages of decline in crime:
Total: -30.0%
Crime Index: -36.9%
Violent Crime: -10.3%
Non Violent Crime: -42%
Crime is down in general statewide, as indicated in the first chart on the list for 2013 versus 2014. However, the perception of crime tends to persist in urban centers. But you can see by the numbers that when Mayor Adrian O. Mapp says Plainfield is a safe city, he has a factual basis. That doesn't mean you can leave your house or car unlocked or otherwise ignore simple precautions when you go on vacation - there are always some criminal types looking for opportunities anywhere. Still, Plainfield appears to be doing well, and with the combined efforts of residents and police, will likely do even better in days to come.
--Bernice
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Is there any credit given to the closure of the housing project? Has the closure of the housing project contributed to the crime reduction wave we are enjoying at this moment?
ReplyDeleteHow can crime be down ? When PMUA has 21 managers and only 135 workers. Crime pays the gang of 21.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Bernice, for providing the facts by providing numbers. It's great to see improvement and change taking shape. It's not the end; we need to continue to see the numbers going down. It is important to take a moment and highlight the bright spots, and the fact that crime has decreased is a huge bright spot. There's still more work to be done, but this is definitely worth celebrating!
ReplyDeleteCarlos Ponton
How can the Mayor say crime is down when there have been 5 break-ins in the past month most were done in the day? Where is the police who are suppose to be patrolling the streets? Are the all on vacation ?
ReplyDeletePlease note the dates. Current crime will be reflected in future statistics. Regarding police numbers, Director Riley has stated that the force is down by a significant number. New recruits are completing academy training and will then have coach training with experienced officers before active duty. Please note, crime being down does not mean the city is crime-free.
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