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For Immediate Release:  
For Further Information:
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September 22, 2008  

David Wald
609-292-4791

Office of The Attorney General
- Anne Milgram, Attorney General
Division of State Police

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Violent Crimes in New Jersey Decreased 7 percent in 2007; Number of Murders Down 11 percent - Annual Uniform Crime Report shows decreases in all categories of violent and non-violent offenses, including aggravated assaults, auto thefts

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Trenton, N.J. – Attorney General Anne Milgram today released the 2007 Uniform Crime Report which shows the overall crime rate in New Jersey dropped four percent compared to 2006, with a significant 11 percent drop in the number of murders reported statewide in 2007.

It was the sixth year in a row that the overall crime rate had dropped, and a reversal in what had been a two-year upward climb in the number of murders. Murders had climbed by seven percent in 2005, compared to 2004, and increased another two percent in 2006.

There was a seven percent drop in the total number of violent crimes reported in 2007 -- murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault -- after two years in which the level of violent crime was substantially unchanged.
Non-violent crimes – burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft – dropped four percent. Crime was down in all areas of the state, whether urban, suburban, or rural.

The total crime rate for the state was 25.3 victims for every 1,000 residents, compared to a rate of 26.4 victims per 1,000 residents in 2006, and a total crime index of 26.9 victims for every 1,000 residents in 2005. The violent crime rate was 3.3 victims per 1,000 residents, a drop from 3.5 victims per 1,000 residents in 2006.

“The drop in the overall crime index and the decrease in the incidents of violent and non-violent crime are encouraging, but we cannot be satisfied until all residents of New Jersey feel safe in their neighborhoods,’’ Attorney General Milgram said. “Innovative law enforcement strategies, tougher penalties for illegal gun possession, and new prevention and prisoner re-entry programs – all parts of Governor Corzine’s strategy for safe streets and neighborhoods -- will make an even greater difference in combating violent crime and the street gangs that traffic in guns and drugs.’’

Total violent crime decreased from 30,543 reported incidents to 28,526. Murders decreased from 427 to 381, which was lower than the 392 reported murders in 2004. Reported rapes decreased 14 percent from 1,200 to 1,029. Robberies decreased six percent from 13,354 to 12,562, and aggravated assaults decreased six percent from 15,562 to 14,554.

Guns were used in 68 percent, or 259 of the 381 reported murders, with drug-related and/or gang-related circumstances accounting for 14 percent of the total murders, an increase of three percent from the previous year. Twenty-seven percent of the offenders were either friends or acquaintances, and nine percent were family members. Twenty-three percent of all murder victims were between the ages of 20 and 24, while 14 percent, or 52 victims, were between the ages of 15 and 19. Sixty-five percent of murder victims were African-American, while 34 percent were white.

There were 71,901 domestic violence offenses reported by the police in 2007, a three percent decrease compared to the number reported in 2006. The number of murders attributed to domestic violence circumstances decreased 10 percent in 2007 when compared to 2006, with 38 murders compared to 42 the previous year.

The number of aggravated assaults involving a firearm decreased 14 percent from 2,605 in 2006 compared to 2,232 in 2007. There were 5,794 arrests reported for weapons offenses, a decrease of 13 percent compared to 2006. Of the total arrested, 30 percent were juveniles.

Bias-related crimes were down 2 percent in 2007, compared to 2006. There were 809 bias incidents reported to police last year compared to 825 in 2006. The number of reported bias-related crimes reported in 2005 was 792. Criminal mischief and property damage accounted for 36 percent of the bias incidents reported in 2007, while harassment accounted for 44 percent. Racial bias accounted for 48 percent of all bias incident crimes in 2007, the same percentage as the year earlier.

Auto thefts dropped 11 percent from 24,746 to 21,944, the second year in a row the decrease was 11 percent and continuing a drop in reported car thefts from a peak of 34,009 reported in 2001. Two-thirds of stolen cars were recovered last year.

Burglary decreased by five percent in 2007, compared to 2006, while larceny and theft decreased two percent.

The number of reported assaults against police officers decreased three percent, from 3, 092 to 3,006.

The annual Uniform Crime Report is prepared by the State Police Uniform Crime Reporting Unit based on information provided by municipal, county and state law enforcement agencies. The latest report records offenses from January 1, 2007 through December 31, 2007.

Combating crime has been a priority of the Corzine administration from expanding Operation Ceasefire and Shooting Response Teams in urban areas to entering into an historic partnership with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to track the movement of illegal guns into New Jersey. The State Police have also been targeting resources against street gangs that traffic in guns and drugs.

The Governor’s Strategy for Safe Streets and Neighborhoods was unveiled last October after a year-long study in the Attorney General’s Office to develop new approaches to combating violent criminals. The strategy is based on intelligence-led policing, which identifies the individuals most responsible for gang and gun-related violence, and calls for information sharing among all law enforcement agencies in the state.

The anti-crime strategy also includes prevention programs developed for at-risk youth and prisoner re-entry programs to cut recidivism rates.

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