HARTFORD, Conn. — More violent crimes typically occur in the summer than any other time of year, but the City of Hartford is reporting a historic reduction in crime during summer 2024.
Mayor Arunan Arulampalam and Interim Hartford Police Chief Kenny Howell say in a release that 2024 is trending towards the city’s lowest number of shooting victims in nearly two decades. The two city leaders credit the success to recent strategic initiatives, including walk-beat officers, the Office of Violence prevention and the expanded use of technology to prevent and solve crimes.
Beyond this summer, both men say that the trendlines point toward a clear decline in violent crime over the previous five years.
“The safety and well-being of our residents are the heart of everything we do, and I am heartened by the progress we’ve made in reducing crime throughout Hartford,” Arulampalam said. “Working towards building our community’s trust and collaboration with Hartford police have played an important role in this progress. Of course, we recognize that the line of progress is never straight, and that continued diligence is needed to create a safer city for all.”
Key crime reductions statistics offered by the city point out that 2024 is trending towards having the lowest number of shooting victims since 2006 and that Hartford has seen a 53% reduction in murders year-to-date compared to 2023, with 14 cases this year compared to 30 at this time last year.
Additionally, shooting victims – both fatal and non-fatal – are down 33% through August 2024 compared to the same period last year, which the city says builds on progress made in 2023, when Hartford saw a 28% decrease in shooting victims compared to 2022.
Howell notes that the department has observed several key areas of progress in combating crime.
These include an increased use of technology such as leveraging video evidence to apprehend more suspects and take more shooters off the streets. Howell also says that a significant reduction in group and gang-related violence can be partially credited to CORA and RICO cases in the fall of last year.
The CORA and RICO cases disrupted several high-functioning criminal networks, making the city safer. According to Howell, gun seizures have reached a 10-year high, with 384 firearms seized in 2023. This year is on track to exceed 300 gun seizures as well.
Howell adds that the police department has worked with community outreach programs such as Project Longevity and the City of Hartford’s Office of Violence Prevention to focus on reaching the city’s most at-risk populations. The use of peer mentoring has been critical, as are life coaching and outreach. Services are provided to individuals most vulnerable to gun violence, including victims, to end the cycle of violence.
“Our collaboration with federal partners, the State’s Attorney and probation and parole services has been crucial to maintaining public safety,” Howell said. “By focusing on outreach to those most at risk, particularly 25 to 34-year-olds, we’ve been able to prevent further violence before it happens.”
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Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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