This NJ Town's Crime Rate Is At '41-Year Low,' Police Say

WEST ORANGE, NJ — Community policing has helped reduce the crime rate in West Orange to a “41-year low,” town officials announced Wednesday.

According to recent FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) statistics, crime in West Orange continues to decline.

“The report indicates that the violent crime rate, non-violent crime rate, and the overall crime rate in West Orange has hit a 41-year low,” a township spokesperson said. “This is likely a direct result of innovative policing initiatives that have been implemented in recent years in West Orange.”

“Our police department is constantly open to the implementation of new and different programs,” police chief James Abbott said.

“Our goal has always been to de-escalate situations with new initiatives focusing on unnecessary force,” Abbott added.

• See related article: Here's How West Orange Police Handle ‘Use Of Force,’ Chief Says
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One of the key efforts that has been making a difference is the department’s new program, where trained mental health clinicians are called upon to respond alongside officers on certain crisis calls, which may not be criminal in nature.

The police department is partnering with the Mental Health Association of Essex and Morris Inc. for the program.

The effort has caught the attention of the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, which awarded the West Orange Police Department its “Excellence in Policing: Community Partnership Award” in December. Watch the video below.

The WOPD is the only law enforcement entity in Essex County that has gained a prestigious accreditation with the Commission on Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies.

West Orange isn’t the only municipality in Essex County that has been reporting milestone dips in crime over the past few years.

Although violent crime ticked upward in Newark during 2021, the past few years have also seen big overall gains for the city. In December, Public Safety Director Brian O'Hara said that during the last three years, Newark has seen its lowest number of murders in 60 years.

Like their peers in West Orange, Newark police have also been tapping into the power of social workers and mental health experts. Recently, the city reallocated 5 percent of its police budget to create the Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery, which provides social services to residents in an effort to break the cycle of violence. The city also recently graduated its first class of social workers along with 67 Newark police recruits.

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