Mayor Joseph P. Ganim Chief of Police
Bridgeport, CT Armando J. Perez
For Immediate Release For More Information:
May 6, 2016 Av Harris (203) 814-7992
av.harris@bridgeportct.gov
-Press Release-
Statistics Through April 2016 Show Major Crime Reductions in Bridgeport
Shootings in Bridgeport Down 41%, Homicide Down 83% While Incidents of Robbery and Burglary all Decline by Double Digits so far this year compared to 2015
Bridgeport – Mayor Joe Ganim and Bridgeport Police Chief AJ Perez today released statistics from the Bridgeport Police Department through the first four months of 2016 showing dramatic reductions in multiple categories of crime across the board compared to last year. Specifically, shooting incidents have declined by nearly 41% from the first four months of 2015, and Bridgeport has seen more than 33% fewer shooting victims so far this year. Homicides have declined by 83% in 2016 compared to January-April, and incidents of rape have declined by 15%. Incidents of burglary have declined nearly 30% compared to 2015 numbers to date, and felony larceny is also down by 6% so far this year. A complete breakdown of first quarter crime statistics follows at the bottom of this news release.
“Even though it is early in the year and early into our new administration, we are very pleased with these numbers,” Said Mayor Ganim. “Since the appointment of AJ Perez as chief, Bridgeport Police have pursued an aggressive, pro-active strategy to combat violent crime and property crime, targeting hot spots and ridding the streets of Bridgeport of dozens of illegal guns. Clearly there is more work to be done but I think it is clear to see that our new strategy is bearing some fruit and our neighborhoods are on their way to becoming safer.”
Bridgeport Police Chief AJ Perez said, “I made a promise the day I was sworn in that we would not tolerate the lawlessness and reckless endangerment of our citizens’ lives that resulted in a spike of shootings and homicides last year. We are watching areas that have been criminal havens in the past and we are cracking down. I thank the community for all of your cooperation and I continue to ask for your help. Our violent crime reduction task force will continue its hard work, also targeting perpetrators of assaults and we will be relentless in our pursuit of anyone thinking of stealing a car in Bridgeport. This is just the beginning of new, smart, aggressive enforcement of the law to keep our communities safe and change the perception of our city.”
The only crime statistics showing increases in 2016 are felony assaults and motor vehicle thefts. However, those increases are due to spikes at the beginning of the year and have since declined significantly following the appointment of Chief Perez and the new strategy he has pursued to combat violent offenses and property crime. Below are complete crime report statistics for January through April of 2016 compared with the same period in 2015:
Year to Date (January1 – May 1, 2016)
Crime 2016 2015 % Change
Murder 1 6 -83.33
Rape 17 20 -15.00
Robbery 116 130 -10.77
Felony Assault 91 64 42.19
Burglary 196 268 -26.87
Felony Larceny 29 31 -6.45
Motor Vehicle Theft 185 159 16.35
Shooting Incident 16 27 -40.74
Shooting Victims 18 27 -33.33
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