Crime Down In Stamford; Ranked 16th Safest City In U.S.
STAMFORD, Conn. (CBSNewYork) - Police have reported an overall drop in crime in Stamford last year, but note an uptick in robberies and burglaries.
As WCBS 880 Connecticut Bureau Chief Fran Schneidau reported, the city has just over 125,000 taxpaying residents. But that number shoots up dramatically when commuter buses and trains bring in office workers.
"In the daytime, we have many more. We've got plus-250,000. And nighttime, we become a destination city with the nightclubs and the bars and the theaters," Stamford Police Chief Jon Fontneau said.
Over the first six months of 2013, the percentage of serious crimes and property crimes dropped 3.5 percent compared with the same timeframe in 2012.
Stamford police dealt with one homicide in 2013, compared with five the year prior. Fontneau said his department gets credit for keeping the crime rate down.
"It's not by accident or it's not by good fortune. It's because of the tenacity and the day-in and day-out monumental good work done by our patrol officers," he told Schneidau.
FBI statistics show Stamford is the 16th safest city in the country and the safest city of over 100,000 people in Connecticut by a wide margin.
The city has 282 officers, said Fontneau.
The crime rate did rise for robberies. Fontneau said day laborers are targeted by thieves because they carry cash with them.
You May Also Be Interested In These Stories