Crime Dropped in West Deptford in 2011

Residents can rest a little more soundly with the newly released 2011 New Jersey Uniform Crime Report (UCR). West Deptford was among the majority of Gloucester County towns that saw a decrease in crime from 2010 to 2011.

West Deptford’s overall crime fell from 523 incidents in 2010 to 466 last year, according to the UCR. The UCR only takes reported crimes into account.

The report differentiates between violent (murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault) and nonviolent (burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft and larceny) crimes. Both categories saw a drop.

West Deptford had 20 reported violent crimes in 2011, down from 28 the prior year. With no murders for either year, the number of both robberies and aggravated assaults were almost cut in half—with seven and eight incidents, respectively. There were more reported rapes in town, however, with five in 2011, up from two in 2010.

Nonviolent crimes also took a dip in West Deptford with 495 in 2010, as opposed to 446 last year. (See table below for full statistics).

Police Chief Craig Mangano credits the drop in both crime to the West Deptford Police Department and residents, who are getting involved with programs such as Neighborhood Watch and reporting more suspicious incidents than in the past. 

“I give the credit to the hard working police officers in this department, along with the rising participation of concerned citizens in this township when it comes to being proactive in combating crime,” Mangano said. “Whenever we can have a reduction in crime, the police department considers it a win."

When crime is reported, the detective division works hard to solve incidents quickly, the chief added. 

West Deptford enjoyed a similar drop in crime in 2010 and 2009. 

Gloucester County as a whole also saw a drop in both violent and nonviolent crimes for 2011. The number of violent crimes dropped from 496 in 2010 to 425 in 2011. Nonviolent crimes in Gloucester County fell by more than 200 incidents—with 7,874 in 2010 to 7, 623 in 2011.

Statewide, crime increased year over year. New Jersey experienced more murders, reported rapes, robberies and especially burglaries and motor vehicle thefts in 2011 versus the prior year. A typical 24-hour period in New Jersey features one murder, three rapes, 33 robberies, 37 aggravated assaults, 118 burglaries, 354 larcenies, 48 motor vehicle thefts and three arsons.

Click here to read the full 2011 Uniform Crime Report. Crimes reported this year will be in the 2012 report, which typically comes out in October to December the following year. 

Violent crimes in West Deptford:

Year

Murder

Rape

Robbery

Aggravated Assault

2011

0

5

7

8

2010

0

2

12

14

Nonviolent crimes in West Deptford (arson is not included in total overall crimes):

Year

Burglary

Larceny

Motor Vehicle Theft

Arson

2011

101

319

26

0

2010

117

359

25

2