Reported Crimes in Kearny Drop by 29% in 2017

The Town of Kearny’s Uniform Crime Report Index for 2017 shows 762 reported crimes in 2017, a significant drop of 29% from the previous year’s number of 1,078. The decrease continues a downward trend in reported crimes in recent years. Of note, the 2017 number is less than half of what was reported a decade ago in 2007. The report also shows that the Kearny Police Department responded to over 30,000 incidents during the course of 2017.

There were drops in almost all major categories of offenses, including a 59% decrease in robberies, 14.7% decrease in assaults, 9.8% decrease in burglaries and 32% decrease in motor vehicle thefts. There was one homicide in 2017 – the first in four years – that was the result of domestic violence. There were also decreases in almost all sub-categories of crime except in two sub-categories: aggravated assaults with hands or fists which increased from four incidents in 2016 to five incidents in 2017; and thefts of goods in trucks or buses, which increased from 14 incidents in 2016 to 16 in 2017.

“These numbers show that Kearny is a safe community. The Kearny Police Department continues to be very effective in responding to calls quickly and making arrests when necessary, both of which are essential to maintaining public safety,” remarked Mayor Alberto G. Santos. He also noted that the Department has effectively incorporated technology and cameras in monitoring key locations.

Under Police Chief John Dowie, who retired in November 2017, and newly appointed Chief George King, the Department hired 10 new officers in 2017. That brought the total number of uniformed personnel in the Kearny Police Department to 107. With a total population of 40,684 as of the 2010 census, there is 1 officer for every 380 residents in Kearny.