08/31/01: NJ Crime, lowest in 30 yr

[Freakapotimus]

N.J. crime hits lowest rate in last 3 decades
By Tom Avril INQUIRER TRENTON BUREAU

TRENTON - Crime in New Jersey continued its steady decline last year, bringing the state's rate to its lowest level in more than 30 years, according to statistics released yesterday.

The rates of reported violent and nonviolent crimes dropped 4 percent each, according to the state's annual Uniform Crime Report.

The declines echo patterns seen in other states in recent years, yet New Jersey did better last year than the country as a whole, according to the report. The nation's crime rate was flat, and the rate in the Northeast region dipped 2 percent.

The decade-long decline has been attributed to such factors as the economy and better law enforcement. Police and crime experts were reluctant to say yesterday whether the trend might reverse now that the economy has faltered. State Attorney General John J. Farmer Jr. recommended continued vigilance.

"Despite the continued success indicated through these statistics . . . we cannot afford to become complacent," Farmer said in a news release.

Crime levels in South Jersey generally followed the state trend, although crime was up slightly in Burlington County, and violent crimes were up sharply in Cherry Hill, Evesham, Voorhees and Willingboro.

Much of the jump in Cherry Hill came in the category of robbery; still, the township's overall crime rate was down, and violent crimes were lower than a decade ago.

While Camden remained among the most crime-ridden municipalities in South Jersey, the city continued to record declines in violent and nonviolent crimes. There were 670 robberies in Camden in 2000, down from 746 the year before and 1,962 in 1991.

"It's 100 percent better," said Douglas Bryant, owner of the Aquarius Lounge on Liberty Street. His bar used to be robbed every six months but has not been victimized in two years, he said.

Bryant credited his new see-through glass door, which he opens with a buzzer only after seeing who is outside. He also credited police for taking criminals off the streets.

"I think most of them that were doing [the robberies] got locked up," Bryant said.

Statewide, the crime rate was 31.6 crimes per 1,000 residents, down from 54.5 per 1,000 a decade earlier. Roughly speaking, that means one of every 32 people was a crime victim last year, not accounting for those who were victims more than once.

Local and county law enforcement agencies gather statistics in four categories of violent crime (murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault) and three types of nonviolent crime (burglary, larceny and auto theft). The state police complies and audits the reported numbers, then forwards them to the FBI.

New Jersey crime was down in all seven categories except murder, which rose by just one, from 287 to 288.

An appendix to the report included the total of reported hate or bias crimes. They rose from 679 to 710. That figure was nevertheless far below some previous years, such as the 1,041 reported in 1996.

As for the seven major categories, police in some South Jersey communities cautioned yesterday that the crime numbers might not be what they seem.

Cherry Hill Detective Sgt. Ken Johnson cautioned that while the number of robberies was up from 46 to 83, many of them did not fit the common perception of a holdup at gunpoint.

When a shoplifter is accosted by a mall security guard and a struggle ensues, that is classified as a robbery under the FBI definition, he noted.

"The guy may try to escape, and he knocks somebody over," Johnson said.

Part of the township's increase in robberies came from one man who was arrested in January after being linked to eight to 10 incidents during the 2000 holiday season, Johnson said.

In Gloucester County, violent and nonviolent crimes were down, although rape was up 48 percent, from 33 to 49. Prosecutor Andrew Yurick said that wasn't necessarily cause for alarm, as the increase might be due to victims feeling more comfortable about coming forward.

"I don't think we have more people being sexually assaulted in Gloucester County," Yurick said. "I think we have more people who have confidence in our system."

Among other factors, he cited the county's use of "sexual assault nurse examiners" who are specially trained to cater to victims' needs when they show up at a hospital.

As for what the future holds, experts were hesitant to predict an upswing in crime due to the weakening economy.

George Kelling, a criminal-justice professor at Rutgers University in Newark, said he was optimistic that the opposite would occur.

Police have learned to combat crime by working more effectively with others, such as parole officers and social-service agencies. Kelling also said the drop in major crimes was due to crackdowns on vandalism and other quality-of-life offenses, a theory he proposed in his nationally known paper, "Broken Windows."

He said the economy does not affect crime directly, citing the relatively high crime rate during the economic boom of the 1980s. To the extent that there is any relationship, Kelling said, it can work both ways.

For example, if widespread crime hits a neighborhood, it could drive out businesses and residents and over time send the area into poverty.

"It can be . . . that crime causes poverty," Kelling said, "rather than poverty causes crime."

Tom Avril's e-mail address is [e-mail].
Inquirer staff writer Alletta Emeno contributed to this article.

© Philadelphia Newspapers Inc.

[KaneOfNod]

I think it's due to officers afraid of losing their jobs if they arrest black people.

[Pecos]

heh... jersey sucks!
too bad that jerseysucks.com is not up anymore.. :(