What Does State Report Say About Cinnaminson Crime?

Overall crime in Cinnaminson is down 23 percent for the first half of 2013 compared to last year's first-half statistics, with drops in virtually every category of crime, according to a state report. 

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. 

The UCR shows the number of reported crimes—including homicide, assault, theft and more—dropped from 201 for the first half of 2012 to 155 for the same period this year. 

The only two crime categories in which there was an increase—from zero in the first half of 2012 to one this year—were murder and robbery involving a firearm. Steven Donaldson, of Shamong, has been charged with murder in the death of 1-year-old Claudia Nunes in February. Police also investigated a gunpoint robbery outside Key West Tan on Cinnaminson Avenue in May.

Cinnaminson's 2012 crime stats show a much smaller decrease, compared to 2011—from 432 reported crimes to 422 (2.3 percent).

While the UCR is one of the tools at the police force's disposal, it's not the first one the department reaches for when evaluating its own effectiveness, according to Public Safety Director Mickey King. 

“We’re not waiting for the uniform crime report to come out,” he told Patch earlier this year, in response to the 2011 UCR. “We react as things are fresh. We monitor crime trends and react to them.”

Patch was unable to reach King for a comment Thursday regarding the most recent reports. 

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

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