DANBURY — Violent crime remained relatively flat in The Hat City last year, despite the pandemic and a nationwide spike in violence, data from the FBI show.
And overall property crime actually decreased in 2020, according to the FBI data gathered through the National Incident-Based Reporting System, or NIBRS, released earlier this week.
But while violent incidents remained flat on the whole, the city saw four homicides last year— a height not seen since 2006, according to the data.
Police Chief Patrick Ridenhour said the number was “concerning.” Three of the homicides were tied to some kind of personal dispute, he said.
“I don't think the pandemic kept the violent crime numbers down though,” he said in an email. “We have been fortunate in that category for many years and hopefully the trend will continue.”
Overall, there were 98 violent crimes - a category that includes homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault - reported in 2020, one less overall than the year before according to the data. Incidents of rape fell by nearly half, down to nine reported in 2020 from 17 the year before, according to the data.
The stats come with an important caveat— they only capture crimes that are actually reported to the authorities. “There are many reasons why people don’t report crimes,” said Hasan Arslan, an associate professor of justice and law administration at Western Connecticut State University. “Fear of retribution, fear of police, not trusting police not seeing how it’s going to make a change.”
Statistically, there’s also a higher chance victims of crimes might know the perpetrator, such as an intimate partner, Arslan noted. He referred to those crimes that go unreported as the “dark figure of crime.”
Robberies in Danbury rose to 40 in 2020, up 42 percent from the year before, while cases of aggravated assault fell to 45, down 15 percent from 2019.
Car thefts, property crime
The decline in property crime in Danbury also included a slight drop in motor vehicle thefts, which spiked statewide last year. Danbury police reported 82 cases of motor vehicle theft in 2020, down from 86 the year before.
“I can't think of a specific reason why (motor vehicle) theft is bucking the trend in the rest of the state but I'll take it,” said Ridenhour.
As with other departments throughout the state, he said Danbury police remind residents to lock their cars and remove key fobs.
“I am sure many people listen but unfortunately many still do not. The overwhelming majority of our motor vehicle thefts were instances where the vehicle was unlocked and keys or key fob readily accessible,” the chief said.
Eighty-one burglaries were reported last year, down by almost 37 percent. Larcenies also declined, falling 22 percent from 2019 to 643 reported in 2020. No incidents of arson were reported in 2020, down from four the year prior.
Ridenhour theorized that businesses closing or modifying their hours for several month due to the pandemic may have brought the larceny rate down.
“Our overall call volume in 2020 was down significantly and that could also be attributed to the pandemic,” he said.
Several nearby towns saw violent crime and property crime rates remain flat or decrease, though New Milford saw a 20 percent jump in violent crime, according to the data. Bethel, New Milford and Brookfield all also saw motor vehicle thefts spike dramatically last year.
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