For Immediate Release

Thursday, March 2, 2017

Contact: Captain Richard Flynn, PIO
Office: 781-316-3907
Cell: 781-844-1224
Email: rflynn@town.arlington.ma.us

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net

Arlington Police Report Nearly 20 Percent Drop in Part 1 Crimes in 2016

ARLINGTON — Police Chief Frederick Ryan is pleased to announce that the Arlington Police Department saw a 19 percent drop in serious crimes from 2016 compared to the previous year.

“Part 1 Crimes” are designated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to be the most serious crimes affecting a community. They include murder/manslaughter, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, arson, and motor vehicle theft.

In 2016, there were a total of 370 Part 1 crimes reported in Arlington, compared to 457 reported in 2015.

A closer look at the data shows a decrease in four of the eight categories listed, and one category remained unchanged from 2015 to 2016.

Arlington had 42 reported burglaries in 2016, exactly half as many as 2015. Sixteen motor vehicles were reported stolen, whereas 28 were stolen in 2015. Larcenies were also down, with 270 in 2016 compared to over 300 last year.There were no murders in Arlington in 2015 or 2016.

Three arson fires were reported in 2016, compared to zero in 2015.

“While noting that there is always more work to do, I am very proud of the work done by our officers and community partners. We have seen a consistent decrease in crime in our community over the past three years,” Chief Ryan said.  “As we become more sophisticated about making data-driven decisions in the deployment of our valuable resources, we are beginning to realize the fruits of our hard work.”

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