FBI 2019 Crime Report: See Trends In Chester

CHESTER, NJ — Violent and property crime decreased nationwide last year, according to data released by the FBI in its 2019 uniform crime report. And overall in Chester, that trend was true.

Nationwide, the FBI reported a decrease in both violent and property crime from year to year. Violent crime went from a rate of 383.4 per 100,000 people in 2018 to 379.4 a year later, a decrease of about 0.5 percent. It's the third straight year violent crime decreased nationally, the FBI said.

Property crime numbers with the same control went from 2,209.8 to 2,109.9. There’s been a downward trend nationwide in this category since 2009, with a decrease of 4.1 percent from 2018 to 2019.

Violent crimes are labeled as homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property crimes are listed as arson, burglary, larceny theft and motor vehicle theft.

The nationwide downward crime trends continued into 2020, according to an overview of numbers from the first half of the year the FBI released a few weeks ago. But two subcategories in particular, murder and arson, have seen a significant increase in the six months that include the first few months of the coronavirus pandemic.

Murder and non-negligent manslaughter cases reported to the FBI by the 16,554 agencies that submitted last year’s data increased by 14.8 percent from the first half of 2019 to the same period in 2020. Arson increased by an even greater rate — 19.2 percent, the FBI said.

Here are the numbers for Chester Township for 2019:

• Drug Abuse Violations - Grand Total 33
• Driving Under the Influence 20
• All Other Offenses (Except Traffic) 6
• Larceny - Theft 5
• Disorderly Conduct 3
• Simple Assault 3
• Aggravated Assault 0
• Total 70

2018

• Drug Abuse Violations - Grand Total 77
• Driving Under the Influence 17
• All Other Offenses (Except Traffic) 12
• Simple Assault 5
• Aggravated Assault 1
• Disorderly Conduct 1
• Forgery and Counterfeiting 1
• Total 117

Lists comparing cities and counties "do not provide insight into the numerous variables that shape crime in a given state, county, city, town, tribal area or region," the FBI said in a statement.

"These rankings lead to simplistic and/or incomplete analyses that can create misleading perceptions that adversely affect communities and their residents,” the statement continued. “Only through careful study and analyses into the range of unique conditions affecting each local law enforcement jurisdiction can data users create valid assessments of crime."

Thanks for reading! Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Have a news tip you'd like to share? Or maybe you have a press release you would like to submit or a correction you'd like to request? Send an email to russ.crespolini@patch.com

Subscribe to your local Patch newsletter. You can also have them delivered to your phone screen by downloading, or by visiting the Google Play store.