Fair Lawn's Index Crimes Reached 4-Year High in 2011
Fair Lawn's increase in index crimes over the past four years is due almost entirely to a jump in burglaries.
Fair Lawn's total index crimes reached a four-year high in 2011, largely on account of the rapidly growing number of burglaries in the borough since 2008, according to a Patch analysis of the just-released 2011 Uniform Crime Report.
The 2011 report found that violent crime in Fair Lawn remained flat from the year before, but the borough's non-violent crime -- spurred on by the jump in burglaries -- has increased steadily since 2008.
In addition to burglaries, which have more than doubled since 2009, robberies also spiked in 2011 -- doubling from the year before. Unofficial 2012 UCR data shows, however, that while burglaries have remained elevated this year, robberies have dropped back down to pre-2011 levels.
According to UCR data, Fair Lawn's six arsons in 2011 were the most in Bergen County for the second straight year. The borough has the fourth largest population in the county behind Hackensack, Teaneck and Fort Lee.
On a positive note, aggravated assaults, which have decreased by nearly two-thirds since 2009, were at a more than 20-year low in 2011.
For a full breakdown of the last six years of UCR data:
Overall Incidents in Fair Lawn
| 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 1-Year Change |
3-Year Change |
|
| Crime Index Total | 491 | 431 | 373 | 390 | 387 | 407 | +5.2% | +9.1% |
| Violent Crime | 38 | 35 | 20 | 30 | 27 | 27 | 0% | +35% |
| Non-Violent Crime | 453 | 396 | 353 | 360 | 360 | 380 | +5.6% | +7.6% |
| Crime Rate per 1,000 | 15.6 | 13.8 | 12.1 | 12.8 | 11.9 | 12.5 | +5.0% | +3.3% |
| Violent Crime Rate per 1,000 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0% | +33.3% |
| Non-Violent Crime Rate per 1,000 | 14.4 | 12.7 | 11.5 | 11.8 | 11.1 | 11.7 | +5.4% | +1.7% |
| Force Level | 59 | 64 | 63 | 64 | 54 | 53 | -1.8% | -15.9% |
Violent Crime
| 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 1-Year Change | 3-Year Change | |
| Murder | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rape | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | +1 |
| Robbery | 11 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 18 | +100% | +100% |
| Aggravated Assault | 24 | 26 | 11 | 23 | 17 | 8 | -53.0% | -27.3% |
Non-Violent Crime
| 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 1-Year Change | 3-Year Change | |
| Burglary | 60 | 62 | 45 | 35 | 58 | 73 | +26.0% | +62.2% |
| Larceny | 373 | 319 | 292 | 309 | 289 | 294 | +1.7% | -0.7% |
| Motor Vehicle Theft | 20 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 0% | -18.8% |
Other Crime
| 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | |
| Arson | 5 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 6 |
| Domestic Violence | 143 | 141 | 116 | 125 | 167 | NA |
| Bias Crime | 5 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 1 | NA |
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Michael Agosta
2:29 pm on Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Hopefully, the addition of three new cops next month helps bring the crime rate down.
Zak Koeske
2:31 pm on Wednesday, December 19, 2012
@Michael They won't be joining the force until October 2013 at the earliest, so their effect won't likely be seen until 2014 (assuming no other officers retire in the mean time).
CHARLES COLES
8:58 am on Thursday, December 20, 2012
looks like larceny and wife beating are the popular crimes in Fair Lawn
Jules Vernon
11:58 am on Thursday, December 20, 2012
It would be better if private citizens armed themselves and simply shot the burglars. Then you would see a stunning drop in the crime rate.
why didn't I think of that
3:42 pm on Friday, December 21, 2012
Nice solution Vernon. You sound as dumb as your screen name.
es
9:22 am on Wednesday, December 26, 2012
I'm mostly sure that @Jules was attempting humor. Actually homeowners can not shoot "burglars" in the act, because if they are home it's robbery. If the homeowners instead are staked out behind the bushes, it's manslaughter.