2008 crime up in New Jersey
Crime in New Jersey rose 5 percent during the first half of 2008, according to a report released by the Attorney General's Office yesterday.
Crime in New Jersey rose 5 percent during the first half of 2008, according to a report released by the Attorney General's Office yesterday.
Though violent crime declined, other offenses increased, boosting the crime index higher than it was during the first six months of 2007, the state Uniform Crime Report said.
From January through June 2008, the number of murders increased 9 percent and rapes 15 percent. Burglaries and thefts increased 7 percent.
Reported robberies fell by 6 percent, and aggravated assaults went down by 3 percent. Since those crimes are reported in far greater numbers than murders and rapes, those figures contributed to an overall drop in reported violent crime.
Reports of arson and domestic violence also declined.
"It is clear that the overall rise in crime means law enforcement must remain ever-vigilant in protecting our state's neighborhoods," Attorney General Anne Milgram said in a statement.
Crime rose in 14 of the state's 21 counties, with the highest numbers of crimes reported in Camden and Essex Counties.
Camden County also saw the sharpest increase in murders during the period: 35 during the first half of last year, compared to 16 for the same period in 2007, a leap due in part to a spike in homicides that Camden City experienced in the first part of the year. The city averaged about five murders each month for the first six months, a rate that dropped in the second half of 2008.
The Uniform Crime Report is based on information provided to the state police by local, county, and state law enforcement agencies. The full 2008 report is expected to be released in late summer or early fall.
