The Wilton Police Department released its annual report for 2015, and in the past year there were more than 14,000 calls to which the department responded. Overall, the statistics show that Wilton “continues to enjoy a long-standing, low crime rate,” according to the report, which was signed by Police Chief Robert Crosby and former Police Commissioner Christopher Weldon, who served as the commission’s chairman in 2015.
The report attributes the low crime rate to a number of factors: police presence; aggressive patrol techniques and enforcement efforts relative to traffic contacts; and a “consistent vigorous” investigative unit.
“All of which are key factors in Wilton remaining a relatively safe community in which to live and work,” the report states, noting that in 2012, FBI statistics ranked Wilton the third safest town in Fairfield County in terms of violent crimes and property crimes.
Interestingly, in 2015 almost all of the categories of incidents fell below the average number over the last six years, with the exception of narcotics investigations and motor vehicle accidents.
One of the biggest concerns the department has relates to traffic in the town. Route 7, which bisects and runs the length of the town, has seen an increase in motor vehicle speed. Traffic congestion has eased even as secondary roads see less traffic volume. The department saw an increase in motor vehicle accidents year-to-year, with 747 accidents reported in 2015, compared to 713 in 2014. The number of accidents with injuries remained relatively the same (63 in 2015, and 61 in 2014).
Serious crime numbers were relatively low in 2015: there were no criminal homicides or robberies; there were two (2) aggravated assaults and three (3) sexual assaults.
Narcotics investigations, however, showed a big jump in 2015, with 42 such investigations compared to 22 in 2014.
The number of reported domestic incidents dropped from 101 in 2014 to 89 in 2015.
There was a slight increase in the number of burglaries, which went from 15 in 2014 to 17 in 2015. Larceny took a much bigger jump, up to 121 in 2015 from 86. The number of breach of peace incidents fell by more than 50-percent, from 39 to 16; and criminal mischief incidents fell to 37 in 2015 from 48 the prior year.
The police are Wilton’s designated first responders to all emergency medical calls that come into the town’s 911 Dispatch Center, which is located in and operated by the Police Department. Dispatch sends all Police, Fire and EMS personnel and equipment to calls requiring emergency response. In 2015, police assisted EMS on 1,147 calls. They also responded to 1,261 burglar alarm calls over the course of the year.
All of the types of incidents related to motor vehicles went up in 2015 too. There were 64 DUIs, 684 motor vehicle accidents, and 63 motor vehicle accidents that involved injuries.
The complete report has been posted to the Police Department’s website.
