What Does State Report Say About Moorestown Crime?

Overall crime in Moorestown is down 37 percent for the first half of 2013 compared to last year's first-half statistics—but don't read too much into that, according to a Moorestown Police spokesman.

The state recently released the uniform crime report (UCR)—an analysis of crime data from police agencies throughout New Jersey—providing statistics for the first half of 2013, as well as all of 2012. 

According to the report, Moorestown had 176 reported crimes from the first half of 2013—including rapes, robberies, thefts and more—compared to 279 from the same period last year—a 36.9 percent drop.

Lt. Lee Lieber said while the numbers are somewhat encouraging, crime is cyclical in nature. He noted how last year the township was victim to multiple burglary rings operating at the same time. The UCR bears out Lieber's assertion, showing 17 forcible entry burglaries in the first half of 2012 vs. 9 in 2013, and 17 unlawful entry burglaries in 2012 vs. two this year.

He added that the UCR is just one of the many tools the police force uses to evaluate its effectiveness, and the annual report is nowhere near as valuable as the department's daily reports.

"We more heavily rely on our day-to-day information," said Lieber. "The UCR gives a yardstick of how we're doing. It's more a long-term planning tool than a proactive daily tool."

Moorestown's 2012 crime stats also show a slight drop from 2011—from 602 overall reported crimes to 557, a 7.5 percent decline. 

Lieber partially chalked the dips in lawlessness up to the increased police presence around town. The department has four Class II special officers—part-timers with the same training as full-time officers—and is in the process of hiring two more, and recently replaced two veteran officers who retired. Overall, the department has 32 full-time police officers, and four part-timers.

Click on the attached PDFs to see Moorestown's first-half crime statistics, as well as the 2012 vs. 2011 report. 

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