Crime declined in 2007 in township & borough

By Anthony V. Coppola, Staff Writer
   Reported incidents of violent and nonviolent crime in East Windsor and Hightstown declined last year, according to the annual statewide Uniform Crime Report compiled by the New Jersey State Police.
   Violent crime — defined in the document released Monday as murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault — fell more than 50 percent in East Windsor, from 41 instances in 2006 to 20 in 2007.
   Aggravated assaults topped the list with 13 occurrences, followed by four robberies, three rapes and no reported murders. In 2006, 29 aggravated assaults were reported, with eight robberies, three rapes and one murder.
   ”This reaffirms our belief that East Windsor is a safe place to live,” East Windsor Police Chief William Spain said in response to the overall report.
   Nonviolent crime in the township — defined as burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft — dropped minimally from 356 instances in 2006 to 351 in 2007.
   Larceny saw the only increase in the township with 300 reported incidents, 40 more than in 2006. Burglary dropped by 30 reported cases, with 42, and motor vehicle theft fell more than 60 percent to nine cases, from 26 in 2006.
   While the report is a good summary of what type of illegal activity is happening in the township, Chief Spain said the department keeps track on its own.
   ”These are things we are monitoring on a daily and weekly basis,” he said.
   The violent crime rate dropped from 1.5 instances per 1,000 people in 2006 to 0.7 instances per 1,000 people in 2007. The nonviolent rate stayed virtually the same — 13.2 instances per 1,000 people in 2006 as compared 13 instances per 1,000 people in 2007.
   There were about 27,000 residents in East Windsor in 2007, according to U.S. Census figures.
   Three separate categories round out the remainder of the report.
   After seeing an increase in 2006 with 194 reports of domestic violence reported in East Windsor, police reported 159 in 2007. Bias crime went from 12 reports in 2006 to one in 2007, while three reports of arson were filed, four fewer than in 2006.
   In Hightstown, there were no reported increases across the board.
   Borough Police Chief James Eufemia said Wednesday that he could not pinpoint a direct cause for the progress, but added the results are “fine by me.”
   ”We are no less busy at the department,” he said. “I just think the people we serve aren’t involving themselves in those types of offenses as much.”
   Violent crimes in Hightstown dropped from 17 in 2006 to 12 in 2007, with eight aggravated assaults (the same as in 2006) and four robberies reported. After three reported rapes in 2006, none were reported in 2007. There also were no murders reported in the last two years.
   Chief Eufemia said he was pleased with the decline in domestic violence reports, which moved from 66 in 2006 to 57 in 2007.
   ”People are, in some cases, becoming more educated in that area and I think it is leading to a decline in its occurrences,” he added. “Our hope is that that education will start to reduce assaults as well.”
   Bias crime dropped by four reported instances, with two in 2007. The next annual report won’t be so positive in this category as the borough has been beset by about a half dozen incidents of hateful graffiti this year along with a hate-crime charge filed after a Hightstown High student had his turban allegedly set on fire.
   Arson cases mirrored their 2006 borough total with one reported instance.
   As for nonviolent crimes, 89 were reported in 2007, nearly 20 fewer than the 108 in 2006.
   Larceny dropped from 77 to 70 instances in 2007, burglary saw 11 fewer reports with 14 and there was one less motor vehicle theft, with five being reported.
   Chief Eufemia said the Police Department reports its findings to the state monthly and in return is issued a quarterly report.
   ”It helps when we can identify a spike in certain offenses,” he said. “We can work on identifying trends in those areas.”
   The borough’s violent crime rate dropped from 3.2 instances per 1,000 people in 2006 to 2.3 instances per 1,000 people in 2007. The nonviolent rate slipped from 20.4 instances per 1,000 people in 2006 to 16.8 instances per 1,000 people in 2007.
   There are about 5,300 residents in Hightstown, according to U.S. Census figures.
   In nearby Roosevelt, six domestic violence cases were reported last year after no documented instances in 2006. Only one violent crime, an aggravated assault, was reported, the same as in 2006. As for nonviolent crime, one instance of burglary (none in 2006) and two reports of larceny (three in 2006) were documented.
   There are 913 residents in Roosevelt, according to the census.