On Tuesday, Governor Jon S. Corzine and Attorney General Anne Milgram hailed a dramatic decline in homicides in New Jersey as they announced the results of the second phase of a statewide initiative launched last summer to target street gangs and violent crime. 

There were 158 reported homicides in New Jersey in the first six months of 2009, compared to 209 during the same time period in 2008 – a 24 percent drop.  In Camden, a city once plagued with violence crime, the homicide rate is down 46 percent.
 
“The release of these crime report statistics shows that we are winning important battles in the war against violent criminals and gangs,” said Governor Corzine. The Governor praised the work of the New Jersey law enforcement community while noting that more work remains. 

“Even one act of violence against a New Jersey citizen is one too many,” Governor Corzine said. 

The results are the second phase of the statewide violence reduction initiative implemented under Governor Corzine’s Strategy for Safe Streets and Neighborhoods. The initiative involves a collaborative effort across all levels of law enforcement in New Jersey to target the most violent street gangs and reduce the drug trafficking and gun violence that they inflict on our communities. 

More than 4,220 arrests have been made since the initiative began last summer, including more than 1,136 suspected gang members. 

At the press conference announcing the new numbers, Governor Corzine and Attorney General Milgram unveiled a new program to assist law enforcement in tracking gangs. NJ CrimeTrack, which is debuting this month, is a statewide intelligence-sharing initiative spearheaded by the State Police that will provide a database for law enforcement agencies across the state to collect, store and share their criminal intelligence related to street gangs and their illegal activities. 

During the pilot phase of this program, more than 3,400 gang members have been identified.  That number is expected to grow tremendously as the program is rolled out with agencies throughout the state.