You asked for information on the concerning (1) trends in violent crime statewide and by municipality, (2) quality of life in Connecticut communities with a high violent crime rate compared with communities with a low violent crime rate, (3) quality of life of children who live in stable and supportive families free from abuse and neglect compared with children who do not, and (4) incidence of abuse and neglect state-wide and in municipalities.

We answer the first question below and will answer the latter three questions in OLR Report 2008-R-0136.

Serious crime rates statewide have declined from 1999 to 2004, according to the most recent data available in the Connecticut Uniform Crime Reports. However, some towns had significant increases in crime, including Lisbon (163%), Clinton (80%), South Windsor (65%), North Branford (61%), Torrington (42%), and Hartford (22%). Though no community was immune from serious crime, towns with marked decreases in crime include Plainfield (51%), Vernon (45%), Thompson (44%), Hampden (35%), Trumbull (35%), and Stamford (23%).

The communities with the highest crime rates per 1,000 residents according to 2004 data were: Hartford (103), New Haven (81), Waterbury (65), Bridgeport (55), Manchester (46), New Britain (46), New London (43), Meriden (41), East Hartford (41), and Derby (40). The communities with the lowest rate according to 2004 data were: Hartland (1), Bridgewater (2), Sherman (12), Ledyard (3), New Fairfield (3), Easton (3), Ridgefield (4), Ellington (4), Killingworth (4), and Chester (4).

Serious crime in Connecticut increased sharply during the 1970s and late 1980s but has declined for most of the past decade. In 2005, the rate of serious crime declined to 274. 5 per 100,000 residents from 298. 5 per 100,000 residents in 2003. The 2005 rate represents the best performance since 1978 and is significantly lower than the national rate of 469. 2 crimes per 100,000 (http: //www. fbi. gov/ucr/05cius/offenses/violent_crime/).

Serious crimes include murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft, and arson. When comparing crime statistics across towns and regions, a unique area of a town can bias the crime rate for the entire town. For instance, a mall, tourist attractions, or shopping center in a small portion of the town greatly impacts the crime rate statistics for the entire town (http: //www. ct. gov/ecd/cwp/view. asp?a=1106&q=251010). Appendix A includes the incidence of serious crime in municipalities listed alphabetically. Appendix B shows the incidence in municipalities listed by population, from highest to lowest. Appendix C includes the incidence of serious crime per 1,000 residents by municipality listed from highest rate to lowest rate (http: //www. dir. ct. gov/dps/ucr/ucr. aspx).

According to 2004 crime statistics, Hartford (102. 7), New Haven (81. 3), Waterbury (64. 9), Bridgeport (54. 9), Manchester (45. 7), New Britain (45. 6), New London (43. 4), Meriden (41. 5), East Hartford (41. 3), and Derby (39. 6) show the highest serious crime rate per 1,000 residents. Hartland (1. 5), Bridgewater (1. 6), Sherman (1. 8), Ledyard (3. 0), New Fairfield (3. 0), Easton (3. 4), Ridgefield (3. 6), Ellington (3. 7), Killingworth (3. 8), and Chester (4. 0) show the lowest crime rate per 1,000 residents (http: //www. dir. ct. gov/dps/ucr/ucr. aspx).

The following tables use data from the Connecticut Uniform Crime Reports (http: //www. dir. ct. gov/dps/ucr/ucr. aspx). Table 1 shows incidence of serious crime per 1,000 residents in the state's 10 least populated towns in 2004 and 1999.

Table 1: Incidence of Serious Crime per 1,000 Residents, Least Populated Towns

Table 2 shows incidence of serious crime per 1,000 residents in the state's 10 most populated towns in 2004 and 1999.

Table 2: Incidence of Serious Crime per 1,000 Residents, Most Populated Towns

Towns with significant increases in crime since 1999 include Lisbon (163%), Clinton (80%), South Windsor (65%), North Branford (61%), Torrington (42%), and Hartford (22%). Towns with marked decreases in crime include Plainfield (51%), Vernon (45%), Thompson (44%), Hampden (35%), Trumbull (35%), and Stamford (23%) (http: //www. dir. ct. gov/dps/ucr/ucr. aspx).

Appendix A: Number of Serious Crimes, by Municipality, Alphabetical