Paul Bass Photo
Police Chief Karl Jacobson at Monday's mayoral inauguration: Overall numbers trending in the right direction.
Fewer New Haveners were shot in 2023 than in 2022. More of them were shot dead.
The city ended the year with 23 reported homicides compared to 16 the year before. One of the 23 may be reclassified because it was an act of self-defense, according to Police Chief Karl Jacobson.
Homicides are projected to have declined nationally in 2023.
So are shootings — both nationally and in New Haven. Jacobson said the final tally will show a drop from 107 to 76 shootings in the city over the past year, along with a 25 percent drop in shots fired. (A more detailed breakdown of crime statistics should be available in coming days.)
While the homicide number was disturbing, Jacobson said he takes heart in the drop in overall shootings — as well as the highest “clearance” (arrest) rate in homicides in 10 years at around 70 percent. Those numbers show “we’re still moving in the right direction” overall with addressing violence in New Haven, he said Monday.
He did express concern about another statistic: 20 officers had retired or resigned in 2023 by Dec. 31 compared to 12 a year earlier. And the department is already short staffed. “That’s a direct result of not having a contract” with the police union, Jacobson said of the exodus. Officers have been working without a contract since the last one expired on June 30, 2022.
The Bruen decision seems to he leading to less shootings. Good to know!