FBI: Violent crime up in majority of NJ's biggest cities
By DONNA DE LA CRUZ
Associated Press Writer
AP, June 12, 2006, 4:23 PM EDT
WASHINGTON -- Murders, rapes, robberies and other violent crimes measured by the FBI rose in the majority of New Jersey's six largest cities in 2005, according to FBI statistics released Monday.
The FBI measures statistics in cities with a population of 100,000 or more.
Jersey City saw increases in all of its violent crime indexes, except for forcible rape. The murder rate increased 65.2 percent with 38 murders in 2005 compared with 23 in 2004.
Beside Jersey City, the cities whose statistics were released were Newark, Paterson, Woodbridge Township, Edison Township and Elizabeth. The violent crimes measured were murder, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault, property crime, burglary, larceny theft, motor vehicle theft and arson.
Of the six cities, Jersey City's statistics were the worst, Woodbridge's the best.
Newark, the state's largest city, saw its overall violent crime index decline, with decreases in robberies, property crimes, burglaries, larceny thefts and motor vehicle thefts. But the murder rate increased 15.5 percent with 97 murders in 2005, compared to 84 in 2004, and forcible rapes were up 13.7 percent.
The FBI data, compiled from reports by more than 12,000 law enforcement agencies, does not contain overall crime numbers in any category nor does it offer any explanation for the changes. The FBI's final annual crime report comes out in the fall.
Criminal justice experts said the statistics reflect the nation's complacency in fighting crime, a product of dramatic declines in the 1990s and the abandonment of effective programs that emphasized prevention, putting more police officers on the street and controlling the spread of guns.
In New Jersey, Michael Wagers, executive director of the Police Institute at Rutgers-Newark, attributed the bulk of violence to the availability of guns.
"Nine out of 10 homicides in Newark were committed with a gun, compared with the national average of 6 or 7 homicides," Wagers said. "It's alarming to see a number of cities in New Jersey see an uptick in violent crime."
Overall violent crime increased in Paterson, Edison and Elizabeth. Paterson and Elizabeth also saw their murder rates and forcible rapes increase.
Edison had no murders in 2005, compared to two in 2004. The city also saw a decline in its forcible rapes _ 6 in 2005 and 7 in 2004. But an increase in robberies, aggravated assaults, burglaries and arsons increased the city's overall violent crimes total.
Woodbridge had the best statistics with its overall violent crime totals down. The city had two murders last year compared with four in 2004, and decreased property crimes, aggravated assaults, burglaries and arsons. But forcible rapes and robberies were way up _ the city saw a 70 percent increase in rapes with 17 in 2005 compared to 10 in 2004, and a 40 percent increase in robberies with 81 in 2005, compared to 58 in 2004.
(Click to enlarge)
(In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. Plainfield Today, Plainfield Stuff and Clippings have no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of these articles nor are Plainfield Today, Plainfield Stuff or Clippings endorsed or sponsored by the originator.)
*
