Trenton Claims 45% Reduction In Homicides For 2022

January 9, 2023

TRENTON, NJ (MERCER)–According to the City of Trenton and Trenton Police Department (TPD) preliminary statistics, the City of Trenton achieved a 45% reduction in the number of homicides during the 2022 calendar year.

While major cities in the United States experienced a 5.0% decrease in homicides, these cities also saw a 20% increase in thefts and robberies. Consistent with national trends, the City of Trenton experienced a 20% increase in robberies during 2022. However, the Capital City achieved a 27% reduction in burglaries in the same year; the growing prevalence of video doorbells have aided local law enforcement, including TPD, in improving their burglary clearance rates.

The City of Trenton recovered 354 firearms in 2022, which marks a 9% increase compared with 2021. Additionally, while aggravated assaults increased by 7% last year, there was a 23% decrease in the sexual assault rate.

In Mayor W. Reed Gusciora’s first term, he opened the Trenton Real-Time Crime Center with the New Jersey State Police (NJSP) to prevent violent crime, launched the Trenton Community Street Teams where civilian leaders mediate neighborhood conflicts before they become violent, hired more than 200 city youth during summers to provide alternatives to employment in the shadow economy, funded the city’s Summer Youth Camp to support the positive development of city children, and hired mental health counselors and dozens of new police officers.

Trenton Police Department Director Steve Wilson affirmed, “Over the past year, we have prioritized investing in programs and initiatives that can make our streets safer. We are grateful to our local county, state, and federal partners for their support and collaboration. Real progress on reducing crime is being made in the Capital City and I look forward to working with our new Trenton City Council to make even greater progress.”

This past year, the City of Trenton opened Trenton RISE, a community-based youth center, to provide at-risk youth a safe space to study and play before or after school. Additionally, the Mayor’s Office facilitated the hiring of dozens of formerly incarcerated city residents through its Office on Returning Citizens, ended the seven-year ban on hiring formerly incarcerated residents, and created the largest civilian public safety panel in the State: the 11-member CHANGE Committee.

Mayor Gusciora remarked, “In 2022, we worked hard to achieve urban violent crime reduction. We are innovating to establish a new public safety standard and partnering with state and area wide stakeholders for the sake of our citizens. In this, we’re doing it together.”