SOUTH ORANGE / MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Earlier this month, the New Jersey State Police released the official 2013 Uniform Crime Report for the State of New Jersey. This annual report is based on crime statistics submitted to the state Uniform Crime Reporting System by every New Jersey law enforcement agency. The report, which is released later and later each year, is compiled and then approved by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
As of 2013, Essex County is leading the state in murders and in overall crime, although these numbers are not reflected in the Maplewood and South Orange numbers, which have seen decreases in overall crime from 2012 to 2013. Most of the number-inflating crimes in Essex County are occurring in Irvington and Newark, with many crimes also occurring in Bloomfield, East Orange and Orange.
As required by law, all law enforcement agencies in New Jersey submit monthly and annual summary crime reports to the state. The 2013 report compiles data from 542 agencies, including municipal and county police; university and college campus police; prosecutor’s offices; sheriff’s departments; and county park police. Agencies report the number of known offenses of murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny and theft, and motor vehicle theft — which are known as the “index offenses.” Other crimes, such as manslaughter, arson, fraud, simple assault and others, are also reported, though considered “non-index offenses.” Complaints determined to be unfounded are eliminated from the report’s numbers.
The results of the crime report index, an audit of crime throughout the state, are used in administrative, planning and operational decisions in each jurisdiction. Additionally, the State Police Uniform Crime Reporting Unit provides advice to jurisdictions, based on the data.
According to the 2013 Uniform Crime Report, Maplewood Township saw a reduction in the overall crime index total, with 567 crimes in 2012 and only 529 crimes in 2013 — a reduction of 38 crimes. Maplewood experienced three fewer violent crimes, with 42 in 2013, and 35 fewer nonviolent crimes, with 487 in 2013.
In 2013, Maplewood saw zero murders or rapes, 38 robberies, four aggravated assaults, 91 burglaries, 340 larcenies and thefts, 56 motor vehicle thefts, and two cases of arson.
Compared with the county’s numbers, Maplewood experienced 0.9 percent of the county’s overall robberies, 0.2 percent of the aggravated assaults, 2.1 percent of burglaries, 3.1 percent of larcenies and thefts, and 1.2 percent of motor vehicle thefts.
South Orange Village also saw a reduction in the overall crime index total, with 405 crimes in 2012 and only 364 crimes in 2013 — a reduction of 41 crimes. South Orange also experienced three fewer violent crimes, with 37 in 2013, and 38 fewer nonviolent crimes, with 327 in 2013.
In 2013, South Orange saw zero murders, one rape, 31 robberies, five aggravated assaults, 56 burglaries, 234 larcenies and thefts, 37 motor vehicle thefts, and zero cases of arson.
Compared with the county numbers, South Orange experienced 0.9 percent of the county’s overall rapes, 0.8 percent of robberies, 0.3 percent of aggravated assaults, 1.3 percent of burglaries, 2.2 percent of larcenies and thefts, and 0.8 percent of motor vehicle thefts.
Between 2012 and 2013, Maplewood maintained its number of total police employees with 71, and South Orange decreased its number of total police employees by three with 55 in 2012 and 52 in 2013.
Following Maplewood and South Orange’s trend, in 2013, Essex County saw a 5-percent reduction in overall crime from 2012; however, murder increased by 21 percent and robbery increased by 30 percent. Nevertheless, rape decreased by 22 percent, aggravated assault decreased by 12 percent, burglary by 11 percent, larceny and theft by 2 percent, and motor vehicle theft by 22 percent.
According to the report, in 2013 Essex County led the state in murders, with a high of 147. Essex County was the only county to break 100 murders. The second highest murder rate was in Camden County, with 69 murders — 78 fewer murders. Cape May County had the lowest murder rate, with no murders in 2013.
Compared to statewide crime, Essex County experienced 31.9 percent of all the state’s robberies, 12.1 percent of all the state’s burglaries, and 9.2 percent of all the state’s larcenies. There are 21 counties in the state.
The county saw a 13-percent increase in violent crime from 2012 to 2013, but a 9-percent decrease in non-violent crime.
When comparing 2012 and 2013 data, Essex County saw an overall 3-percent reduction in drug arrests, with an 18-percent reduction in drug-sale and drug-manufacturing arrests, but a 3-percent increase in drug-possession and drug-use arrests.
Essex County police agencies made 4,000 arrests for index offenses, arresting 52 suspects for murder; 23 for rape; 860 for robbery; 964 for aggravated assault; 597 for burglary; 1,440 for larceny and theft; and 64 for motor vehicle thefts.
On top of that, Essex County police agencies arrested 31,878 suspects for non-index offenses, making a grand total of 35,878 arrests. Essex County police agencies arrested more suspects than police agencies in any other county in 2013, with the second highest number of arrests in Camden County, with 26,587 arrests — 9,291 fewer arrests.
Essex County’s municipalities employ more municipal police officers than any other county in New Jersey. With 2,427 police officers in 2013, Essex County’s officers account for 12.5 percent of the state’s municipal police officers. For every 1,000 Essex County inhabitants, there are 3.1 police officers; this rate, the same in both Essex and Cape May counties, is the highest in the state, however Cape May has only 302 officers.
Similarly, Essex County’s municipalities employ more municipal police employees — civilians who are not officers — than any other county in New Jersey. With 3,036 police employees in 2013, Essex County’s police employees account for 13 percent of the state’s municipal police employees. For every 1,000 Essex County inhabitants, there are 3.9 police employees; again, this rate, the same in both Essex and Cape May counties, is the highest in the state. Still, Cape May only has 380 police employees
Also, approximately 7.9 percent of Essex County police officers were assaulted in 2013, with 2,427 officers assaulted. Although Essex County is leading the state in number of officers assaulted, it is not leading the state in assaults on police: Hudson County leads with 304 assaults. Statewide, approximately 9.5 percent of police officers were assaulted in 2013.
As counties like Essex see decreases in overall crime, so does the state. Overall, New Jersey saw a 4-percent increase in murders when comparing data from 2012 to data from 2013; a 16-percent decrease in rape; a 6-percent increase in robbery; a 7-percent decrease in aggravated assault; a 16-percent decrease in burglary; a 4-percent decrease in larceny and theft; and a 17-percent decrease of motor vehicle theft. With all crime reduced by 7 percent, the state saw a 1-percent reduction in violent crime and an 8-percent reduction in nonviolent crime.
One section of the report provides an analysis of the 24-hour crime cycle in New Jersey and holds that in every 24-hour period, there is one murder, two rapes, two arsons, 33 robberies, 33 aggravated assaults, 38 vehicle thefts, 98 burglaries and 323 larcenies. Similarly, a violent crime is committed approximately every 21 minutes and 30 seconds, and a nonviolent crime is committed approximately every three minutes and eight seconds.
According to the report, there were 25,452 violent crimes reported in 2013, with the highest number of offenses being reported in June and the lowest number being reported in February. There were 167,462 nonviolent crimes reported in 2013, with the highest number of offenses being reported in August and the lowest number being reported again in February. Police often see crime spikes during the warmer months, when more people — both perpetrators and victims — are out on the streets.
Only 21.1 percent of crimes in New Jersey in 2013 were cleared by police — 48.9 percent of murders, 35.2 percent of rapes, 22.9 percent of robberies, 52.4 percent of aggravated assaults, 13.8 percent of burglaries, 21.5 percent of larcenies and thefts, and 5.7 percent of motor vehicle thefts.