Does New Jersey have a crime problem? The answer to that question largely depends not only on whom you ask, but also on where you look.
Various studies rank the state among the safest in the country. But those figures do not always translate to public polls, in which some residents have expressed dissatisfaction with the number of crimes in their area and worried they could be among the next victims.
New Jersey trails only New Hampshire on the list of safest states, Newsweek said this summer, citing a Consumer Affairs report. The Garden State boasted the lowest crime rate, at 16.8 incidents per 100,000 residents (well below the national average of 40), and had the second-highest law enforcement concentration, with 424 officers per 100,000 residents.
Another study, published by the medical research company Innerbody, found that New Jersey had the second-lowest rate of “reported crimes against persons” in 2022, behind only Vermont. The Garden State was named the safest state overall in the same report.
In general, the public’s feelings about quality of life in the state mirror these reports. In New Jersey, 77% say their neighborhood is either an “excellent” or “good” place to live, according to a Rutgers University poll of more than 1,600 people conducted in December 2023.
But the respondents’ answers regarding safety are slightly less optimistic, with 30% saying crime in their neighborhood has gotten worse in the past five years. Another 57% believe the rate has stayed roughly the same over that time, and only 10% say it has gotten better.
Crime perception vs. reality
The discrepancy between the data and the public’s concerns is partially due to a heightened interest in monitoring crime in recent years, said Brian Higgins, a former Bergen County police chief and a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan. Crime reporting is a “hot topic” right now, he said, especially in the weeks and months before a presidential election, when candidates and voters pay close attention to several key issues.
“It’s almost like people have a capacity for, let’s say, top three or top five things that bother them,” Higgins said. “I do think it’s fair to say that crime is an issue. I do think, though, that some people are hyper-focused on it.”
The state’s proximity to New York City is another factor that experts believe explains the difference. Because so many North Jersey residents live near, work in or frequently visit the city, its crime problem tends to “bleed over” in the minds of the public, said Morris County Sheriff James Gannon.
“I think when you have issues in large cities … that lends itself to crime and perception of crime” locally, Gannon said.
State of crime in New Jersey
Higgins praised New Jersey’s strength at keeping crime rates down, which he attributed to factors like better pay and more stringent screening when hiring new officers. Smaller departments are at an advantage here, he said. They may hire only one or two new officers at a time, compared with an entire group of newcomers in larger cities joining the force at the same time.
In addition, Higgins pointed out, a significant percentage of crime in the state is confined to several “hot spots” in mostly urban areas.
“When you move right outside of those areas and you move to these medium- to smaller-sized municipalities, the crimes are very low,” he said.
The Rutgers survey outlines this phenomenon when broken down by location. Only 55% of urban respondents rated their neighborhood as “very safe” during the day, a rate lower than their counterparts in suburban and rural areas. That number dropped to 32% when asked about feeling safe at night.
Morris County law enforcement officials have implemented a variety of measures to keep the community safe, and to demonstrate that safety to its residents. County police chiefs meet monthly to discuss crime solutions, Gannon said, and officers take part in regular events like Coffee with a Cop to form bonds with the people they serve.
The strength of these outreach programs allows the public to feel comfortable notifying the police of any suspicious activity. Gannon also touted the success of initiatives like the Hope One mobile outreach van, introduced in 2017 to address addiction, mental health and homelessness.
“There’s a correlation between all these services and crime,” Gannon said. “You can’t be a one-trick pony.”
What else can be done to prevent crime
Higgins thinks police can further reduce crime by being more proactive when monitoring patrol areas and responding to calls. He has noticed that modern officers are less willing to thoroughly investigate calls, mainly due to the risk of such encounters making headlines for the wrong reasons.
“A lot of cops are afraid of being on YouTube tomorrow,” Higgins said. “I think we need to show law enforcement that we support them and encourage them to be active.”
Gannon cited the “broken windows theory,” which suggests that visible signs of crime will encourage further illegal activity in an area. Consequently, targeting minor crimes like vandalism and drinking in public will create a more law-abiding community.
He highlighted the importance of community engagement, particularly at the town level, where officers are intimately familiar with the area they serve. Though county and state agencies can provide the necessary resources, Gannon said, “We’re only as good as that local police officer.”
Morris County leaders are also in frequent talks with religious and cultural groups to ensure they feel safe, he said. October brought a focus on Jewish residents for Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur and the anniversary of the Hamas attacks on Israel.
Public involvement
By having these constant conversations, Gannon explained, it shows residents that officers care about their safety and are willing to put in the work to maintain it.
“That’s how you drop down a little bit of the fright,” he said. “There’s no app for that. It’s shoe-leather.”
Residents can do their part by looking out for any activity that seems out of the ordinary, Higgins said. This is another area where New Jersey’s general layout, of mostly small towns where neighbors all know one another, can be helpful.
Higgins recalled a recent situation late one night when he went out to his car, which was parked on the street outside his home. As he searched through the car with a flashlight, a policeman approached to make sure he owned the car and was not doing anything illegal.
“That’s because that’s not the type of activity you see in my neighborhood,” Higgins said. “High visibility and active policing are good at keeping crime down. We have to be cautious that we don’t have a chilling effect on law enforcement by saying they’re over-policing or overaggressive.”
