CONNECTICUT, USA — Today, Gov. Ned Lamont and other regional governors will announce a new initiative to help prevent gun violence.
Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York, Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey, and Gov. Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania will join Lamont for the virtual news conference regarding the initiative.
According to data released by the FBI, homicides have increased between 2019 and 2020 across the country, including Connecticut. Statistics showed a 30% increase in homicides in the state.
The data is part of the yearly Uniform Crime Report, which provides information for various crimes and outlines national and state trends. The report is based on data received from law enforcement agencies.
Vehicle theft rates also saw a considerable increase in Connecticut from 2019 to 2020 at around 40%, with the state seeing a spike up from its lowest point recorded in 35 years. Also, in this case, that rate was up nationally.
"The auto thefts are actually dropping in our cities and rising in the suburbs," said Mike Lawlor, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of New Haven.
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Lawlor said it's hard to pinpoint what's causing these increases, but they said the pandemic could have a lot to do with both.
"A lot of it has to do with police being unable to do what was very successful in the past, this one-on-one intervention with very high-risk people. On top of that, I think there was a breakdown in trust between the community and police departments in the aftermath of George Floyd's murder," said Lawlor.
Connecticut is already considered to be a state with some of the strictest gun laws in the country, according to Everytown for Gun Safety and other gun violence prevention groups.
Jennifer Glatz is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jglatz@fox61.com.
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