Sparta Sees 20 Percent Crime Drop, State Police Report

At the year's three-quarter mark, New Jersey State Police report that crime is down in Sparta compared to the first nine months of 2013.

Total crimes reported in Sparta from January to September were 130 incidents, compared to 163 in the same time period last year. Overall, that represents a drop of 20.2 percent.

That's according to the New Jersey State Police's uniform crime report, which releases crime statistics from municipalities throughout the state.

The township's largest decrease in year-to-date crimes was in unlawful entry burglaries, which went from 15 incidents between January to September 2012 to 8 incidents in the same time period this year, an decrease of 46.7 percent. Combined with a rise in forcible entry burglaries—from 7 to 9, or 28.6 percent—there was an overall 22.7 percent decrease in burglaries in the first nine months of 2013.


Decreases in crime also were noted in larcenies, which fell from 114 incidents in the first nine months of 2012 to 86 so far this year while simple assaults rose from 23 to 25.

The incidence of simple assault rose slightly, from 23 between January and September, 2012 to 25 for the first nine months of 2013.