Vivian Englund – Copy Editor
According to the most recent FBI data, New Haven has ranked as the second most dangerous city in America.
However, in the last year instances of violent crime such as murder, robbery and aggravated assault have decreased and continue to do so due to the efforts of the New Haven Police Department.
In the past year, the murder rate has dropped respectively -11.11%. The instance of robbery dropped a total of -1.39%. Aggravated assault occurrences have declined as well by -16.45%.
The FBI’s data presents a more alarming detail. Instances of rape have increased by +37.50% in the last year.
The increase may be a result from the FBI’s new extended definition of rape.
In other words, the FBI’s new definition no longer presents one sole interpretation of what rape is. Meaning that more occurrences of rape and sexual assault are being reported to authorities.
Drug related crimes are not considered violent crimes within the New Haven area; although they still contribute to the overall crime rate.
Senior Cheryl Cote is a Resident Advisor (RA) and sees crime at a different angle on Southern’s campus.
Cote has first handedly seen particular instances of non-violent crimes, “I know that drugs are a big issue in New Haven,” said Cote.
Approximately 753 people each year are arrested for drug charges in New Haven alone.
“I have seen it a lot as an RA,” said Cote. “I think this is due to an increase in drug usage and the fact that college students tend to use drugs at higher rates than other age groups.”
The New Haven Police Department expects a decrease in the instance of drug related crime in the coming years as well, with considerably lower rates since their new patrolling strategies.
In 2012, the New Haven Police Department increased the number of patrolling officers on duty. Since then, the police department has reported lower overall crime rates. They consider their new patrolling strategies to be oriented from the community with their support.
Junior Meghan McTeague is a resident on Southern’s campus. McTeague has observed a stronger presence of campus police in efforts to cut back on crime surrounding campus.
“It’s sometimes scary to think that these types of violent crimes happen so close to SCSU,” said McTeague. “Overall, I think that the Southern police and New Haven Police Department are trying to combat crime as best they can, and so far they have been successful in that.”
As a reply to the new patrolling strategies, some residents suggest that the crime rates are due to the strong economic divide that exists throughout New Haven.
They believe that the marginal socio economic gap that exists between prominent wealthy institutions such as Yale and the permanent citizens of New Haven, is a catalyst for crime.
The city of New Haven continues to show modest growth in fighting and preventing crime.
