Brick Twp. Police car. (Photo: Daniel Nee)
The number of crimes committed in Brick Township fell in virtually every category in 2015, according to FBI data released Monday.
The report, Crime in the United States, indicated that crime fell across the board, in every category except arson, which rose from five incidents in 2014 to seven in 2015.
Incidents of violent crime were down to 76 in 2015, less than the 89 incidents that were reported in 2014. Murders were reduced from one in 2014 to none in 2015, robberies fell sharply from 27 in 2014 to just nine in 2015. Likewise, burglaries fell from 202 to 144 between the two years, and aggravated assaults dropped modestly, from 59 to 55.
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Property crime saw the most dramatic reduction between 2014 and 2015, falling from 1,169 to 930. Thefts fell from 941 to 770, and vehicle thefts were reduced from 26 to 14. Property crime has steadily declined over recent years, falling from a high of 1,382 in 2010. Police officials have attributed the drop in recent years to the reinstatement of the department’s Selective Enforcement Team, a specialized unit which includes undercover officers, anti-gang enforcement and highly-visible enforcement.
Mayor John Ducey recently announced that the department would be adding two new officers, bringing the total roster to 136.
This year’s data also shed new light on sexual assaults.
There were no forcible rapes in 2015, down from two in 2014, though the data showed there were 22 such incidents under a new data reporting structure, which takes into accounts rapes that were either attempted or occurred without the consent of one of the parties, even if it was not physically forced.
