Hoboken saw double-digit drop in both violent and non-violent crime in 2019, according to new data released by the city’s police department.
Violent crime dipped 34.2% between 2018, when there were 120 incidents reported, and 2019, which saw 79 violent crimes. Non-violent crimes were down from 861 in 2018 to 664 in 2019 — a 22% drop.
“I think there’s that trust there where we get a lot of calls,” police Chief Ken Ferrante said. “We probably receive more than a quarter-million phone calls every year.”
There were once again no homicides in Hoboken, and every other crime category, ranging from rape to larceny, decreased by at least 20 percent, Ferrante said, citing stats from the State Police’s Uniform Crime Report.
“It’s a combination of vigilance by our residents and great collaboration of our uniform officers and our investigative officers,” the chief said.
Robbery, which Ferrante said is the No. 1 indicator of a community’s safety, was down 39.1 percent, from 23 incidents in 2018 to 14 in 2019.
There were two reported rapes in 2019, down from four in 2018.
Ferrante said the drop in the overall crime rate was partially a result of community outreach. The department has emphasized crime prevention techniques while also urging residents to report suspicious behavior, he said.