HARTFORD, CT – Governor Ned Lamont issued the following statement in response to today’s release of Connecticut’s annual crime statistics report, which compiles data on crimes reported to law enforcement agencies in the state for the 2021 calendar year:
“This report shows violent and property crimes are down in Connecticut from the previous year, preserving our state’s status as one of the safest in the country. We must remain laser-focused on further reducing crime. Speaking as a father, a husband, and governor, one crime is too many. We have a real opportunity, working together with law enforcement and community partners, to further increase public safety in Connecticut.”
The annual report is created by the Crimes Analysis Unit of the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection and is now in its 44th year of publication. It is the most comprehensive source of crime-related data for the state.
Data from the report shows that between 2020 and 2021, Connecticut experienced a:
3% reduction in overall crime;
9% reduction in violent crime; and a
2% reduction in property crimes.
Additionally, the report finds that over the last ten years overall crime in Connecticut has fallen 30%, including a 43% reduction in violent crime and a 29% reduction in property crime.
During the last four years, the Connecticut State Police Training Academy has graduated 333 new state troopers through six training troops. The 132nd Training Troop is currently in progress and anticipated to graduate an additional 33 new state troopers by the end of October. The State Police plans to commence another training troop in November. That class of state trooper trainees are currently being recruited and will graduate in 2023.
The state budget that Governor Lamont signed into law earlier this year for the 2023 fiscal year makes significant investments in crime prevention and reduction, especially involving gun violence, as well as services for crime victims and support to clear court cases that accumulated during the pandemic. This includes:
$11 million for strategies led by law enforcement officials to trace firearms to their sources, reduce stolen cars, reduce violent crime, and promote safety on rural roads;
$8 million for community and public health-led strategies to prevent and reduce gun violence;
$4 million to invest in the latest forensic science technologies to speed up investigations and the clearing of criminal cases;
$18 million to help victims and survivors recover from crime through safety planning, crisis counseling, mental health treatment, and support for survivors of domestic violence; and
$32 million to speed up the processing of court cases.
