Bloomfield Police Say Crime Was Down For 2017

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — Crime is down in Bloomfield, local police say. And as was the case in 2016, no murders or rapes were reported in Bloomfield last year.

Earlier this week, the Bloomfield Police Department released a report that stated the town’s 2017 crime statistics show “crime is down.”

• See related article: FBI Releases Bloomfield's 2016 Crime Stats

According to Bloomfield police: 839 instances of “Part I” crime – such as murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault and burglary - were seen in the township in 2017, a 4% decrease from 870 in 2016.

Bloomfield police said:

“Auto thefts decreased 21%, from 103 occurrences in 2016 to 81 in 2017. The last four weeks of December saw a 40% decrease in Part I crimes, from 67 incidents in 2016 to 40 in 2017. Despite a decrease in Part I crimes, 2017 saw an increase in arrests for Part I crimes, from 390 in 2016 to 427 in 2017. Arrests have been made for over 50% of Part I crimes committed in Bloomfield in 2017.”

The decline is welcome news, according to police, considering that the number of Part I crimes committed in Bloomfield had soared to 1,212 in 2014, following consecutive yearly increases.

According to a BPD news release, some positive changes that may have been responsible for the decline include:

• community policing
• strategically assigning officers shifts during the evening hours
• meeting daily with police commanders
• utilizing crime analysis
• crime mapping and predictive policing
• demanding more transparency

Bloomfield Police Department statistics also show decreases in Part II criminal offenses during 2017, including arrests for possession of illegal guns, drug offenses, and driving under the influence. Arrests for possession of Controlled Dangerous Substances decreased by 23%, from 354 in 2016 to 273 in 2017, the BPD stated.

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Photo: Enzo DiCostanzo