Crime Falls To New Lows in Middletown, NJ

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — For the seventh straight year, crime continues to trend downwards in Middletown Township, the Township announced Monday. The police department compiled the 2016 crime statistics for Middletown Township and found that both major crimes — such as murder and aggravated assault — and minor crimes like larceny and theft are all going down. Larceny is defined as theft without the use of force. Home invasions also dropped by nearly 60% since 2010.

Police Chief R. Craig Weber attributes the downward trend to community-oriented policing, which includes things such as cops on bike patrols, child safety seat installations, police youth week camps and the Too Good for Drugs curriculum in the township’s elementary schools. The department also has a designated anti-crime unit to respond to crime more quickly, Chief Weber said.

These numbers are more current than the crime stats Middletown submits to the FBI's Uniform Crime Report, which only goes up to 2015, a Township spokeswoman said. Not surprisingly to those who live here, Middletown was named as one of the five safest places in America to raise a child last year.

2016 vs. 2010 Middletown, NJ crime numbers:

Violent crimes – murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault – decreased 63%: There were 42 violent crimes in Middletown in 2010 and 16 in 2016.

Burglary dropped 59%: There were 151 burglaries in Middletown in 2010 and 62 in 2016

Larceny is down 45%. There were 656 incidents of larceny in 2010 and 364 in 2016

Auto theft dropped by 57%; there were 23 cars stolen in Middletown in 2010 and 10 in 2016.

Index crimes are down 13% over last year and 48% compared to 2010. Index crimes are defined by the Middletown police as murder and non-negligent homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, motor vehicle theft, larceny/theft and arson.

There were 453 index crimes in 2016, which equates to an index crime rate of 6.81 per 1,000 people. In 2010 there were 873 index crimes and the rate was 13.23.

“It’s no accident Middletown’s crime rate continues to trend downward,” said Mayor Gerry Scharfenberger. “Our officers work hard to maintain a strong, positive relationship with the community. Our crime rate continues to be one of the lowest in the nation thanks to their dedication to keeping the community safe.”