Newton's 2022 Crime Statistics Show More Car Crashes, Less Burglary

NEWTON, MA — Last month, Newton Police Chief John Carmichael provided crime statistics for 2022 to the Public Safety & Transportation committee of the Newton City Council, Councilor Tarik Lucas said in a recent email.

The statistics, which included traffic citations, arrests, overdoses, mental health calls, and car crashes, showed that car crashes and commercial burglary cases in the city are more common this year, but the total of burglaries, car break-ins, and bicycle crashes has dropped.

According to Carmichael’s report, total burglary is down by 34 percent, with residential burglary down by 51 percent and commercial burglary up by 75 percent. Car break-ins are down by 45 percent and bicycle crashes are down by 33 percent, but car crashes are up by 20 percent.

In addition, Newton police have responded to 327 mental health calls this year. Last year’s total was 429. As of Sept. 8, the department responded to 20 total overdoses, with 4 of them being fatal. That’s the same as the total number of overdoses in 2021.

In terms of domestic violence, Carmichael said there have been more high‐risk incidents, including strangulation. As of August 31, there have been 169 total calls, including 36 arrests and 19 summonses.

To read the full report and crime statistics, click here. A video of Carmichael speaking about Newton’s crime statistics is available here.