15-05-2025
Some crime dropped in 2024; some rose. See numbers officials say makes CT ‘one of the safest' states
Crime in Connecticut dropped in 2024 compared to the previous year, which included a drop in violent crime that encompassed a dip in murders of more than 30%, according to preliminary statistics released on Tuesday.
The statistics were part of the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection's 'Crime in Connecticut' report, which is now updated quarterly.
The preliminary statistics are in line with the National Incident Based Reporting System, which is the national standard for reporting crime. The preliminary stats show a drop in all three categories that are recorded, which include crimes against persons, crimes against property and crimes against society.
'Violent crime, including murder, and property crimes such as motor vehicle theft show substantial declines,' DESPP Commissioner Ronnell A. Higgins said in a statement. 'Connecticut is one of the safest among all states, and we will use the detailed data that we collect and analyze to guide our future decision making.'
According to the report, crimes against persons — more commonly known as violent crime — dropped by 2.6% in 2024 when compared to the previous year. This category in the last quarter of 2024 was the lowest it has been since the first quarter of 2021. The final three months of last year represented a 5.6% decrease in crimes against persons compared to the same time period in 2023.
Crimes against persons includes murder and non-negligent manslaughter, negligent manslaughter, kidnapping and abductions, assaults, sex offenses and human trafficking crimes. There were 29,950 crimes against persons reported in 2024.
According to the preliminary statistics, murders and non-negligent manslaughters dropped by just over 34% in 2024 compared to the previous year. Aggravated assaults dropped by just over 7% in the same time period, and rapes dipped by a little more than 14%, the statistics show.
Instances of criminal sexual contact dropped in 2024 by 18%, while statutory rapes fell by nearly 19%, according to statistics.
The only crimes against persons that saw increases in 2024 were kidnappings and abductions, which rose by 2.3%, and simple assaults which saw a sliver of a rise by 0.1%, the statistics show.
The report notes that, in the most recent quarter (Q4) of 2024, there were 6,986 crimes against persons, a 5.6% decrease from Q4 2023 and that for all 2024, there were 29,950 crimes against persons reported, 2.6% decrease compared to the same period in 2023. The report also notes it is preliminary because, 'some investigations may still be ongoing and the results of such investigations may affect the data in this report.'
Violent crimes typically increase in the warmer months between April and September, though officials noted in the report that this 'was not as apparent' in 2024. Violent crimes accounted for about 24.5% of all crime reported in the state in 2024, the report said. There were 111 murders/ nonnegligent manslaughter and negligent manslaughter cases reported in 2024, the report shows.
Crimes against property, which include burglaries, robberies, car thefts, shopliftings, identity theft, fraud and other types of theft, fell last year by 16.9%. The biggest drop recorded in this category was identity theft, which decreased by about 66%, the statistic show.
Fraud offenses as a whole fell by 38%, which included a 17.1% decline in hacking and computer invasion offenses. Wire fraud in 2024 increased by 24.7%, according to the preliminary stats. Burglaries and robberies each fell by more than 11%, while car thefts dropped by 19.2%. Shopliftings increased in 2024 by 1.5%, the statistics show.
According to state officials, the last quarter of 2024 saw a 17.2% decrease in crimes against property compared to the same time period the previous year and was the lowest it has been since the second quarter of 2021. Property crimes accounted for 67.3% of all crime in the state last year.
Crimes against society, which include animal cruelty cases, drug violations, weapon law violations and pornography or obscene material crimes, dropped as a whole by 4.4% in 2024, the preliminary data show. Animal cruelty cases, however, skyrocketed by 36.7%. Drug and narcotic violations also saw an increase, rising by 3.7%.
The report notes that, in the most recent quarter of 2024, there were 2,231 crimes against society, which was a 9.5% decrease from Q4 2023, and in all of 2024, there were 10,040 crimes against society reported, which is a 4.4% decrease compared to the same period in 2023.
Weapon law violations fell by 17.9%, and obscene material/pornography crimes dropped by 8.8%, the statistics show. Crimes against society dropped 9.5% in the final quarter of 2024 compared to the same time in 2023 and was the lowest it has been since the first quarter of 2021, officials said. Crimes against society accounted for about 8.2% of all crime in Connecticut last year, the report said.
'We will use this data to drive our decision-making, including the guidance we provide to local law enforcement and police chiefs,'' Higgins said. 'Real-time data analysis is a top priority for DESPP so that law enforcement makes the right decisions to keep Connecticut residents safe.'
