Violent crimes drop almost 10% in Connecticut in 2014

“We are making extraordinary strides in Connecticut, with crime at nearly a 50-year low and violent crime dropping dramatically each year, ” Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said in a statement, hailing the FBI’s state crime report.

Malloy and state public safety officials held a news conference on Monday afternoon to announce the 2014 crime numbers and said the FBI’s annual crime report shows that overall crime in Connecticut continued to drop in 2014, including a 9.7 percent decrease in violent crime.

Florida’s overall violent crime rate is higher than the national average, and it saw jumps in the numbers of murders and manslaughters, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults.

They attribute the rise to a sharp increase in the use of illegal drugs and increased activity by drug gangs.

Property crimes, meanwhile, declined 3 percent to about 6,900 a year ago.

The report also includes arrest data for hate crimes, criminal cyber breaches and human trafficking.

Police made an estimated 11,205,833 arrests during 2014-498,666 for violent crimes, and 1,553,980 for property crimes.

Message from Federal Bureau of Investigation Director. But those records are known to be incomplete since it is voluntary for police departments to feed data into the FBI’s system, and little more than a third of local agencies do it, Comey said.

To that end, FBI Director James Comey said in a memo released with the report that the FBI plans to collect more data about shootings of civilians by law enforcement in order to address concerns about appropriate use of force. That report will outline facts about what happened, who was involved, whether there were injuries or deaths, and the circumstances surrounding the incidents. At times during the year, Hartford has had more homicides than any major city in New England, including Boston, Providence, Bridgeport, Worcester and others. “Entire cities have been transformed, unlocking tremendous potential and releasing a wave of prosperity”, Yates said, adding that “even though crime is trending downward in most places, we are seeing pockets of rising violence in various locations across the country”.

Explains Comey, “We hope this information will become part of a balanced dialogue in communities and in the media-a dialogue that will help to dispel misperceptions, foster accountability, and promote transparency in how law enforcement personnel relate to the communities they serve”.

Looking ahead. Beginning in January 2016, data collection will begin for the newest UCR Program initiative-animal cruelty offenses-requested by the National Sheriffs’ Association and the Animal Welfare Institute.