MEDIA RELEASE

August 18, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MAYOR STEWART REPORTS SIGNIFICANT DROP IN MAJOR CRIMES IN NEW BRITAIN

New Britain Mayor Timothy Stewart today released the latest major crime statistics reported by the Connecticut Department of Public Safety. The latest statistics indicate a significant drop in the crime rate for the City for the first quarter of this year.

“I am very pleased to report that the latest crime reports from the Department of Public Safety indicate that major crime in the City of New Britain has dropped significantly,” Mayor Stewart announced today. “According to those reports, major crime is down 17% in our community and that is truly good news for the residents of New Britain. Adding to the good news for our taxpayers is that we have continued to maintain high standards in public safety while holding the line on spending. ”

The reductions reported by DPS were as follows:

Motor vehicle theft down from 121 to 54

Larcenies were down from 447 to 379

Aggravated assault was down from 29 to 25

Robbery was down from 40 to 35

Rape dropped from 3 to 1

Arson down from 1 to zero

Murder down from 1 to zero

Police Chief William Gagliardi was also encouraged by the reports. “This confirms that the strategies we have been working on for the past few years, including increased use of technology, are successful. The officers in the New Britain Police Department are top notch, including our latest group of 14 officers that are currently in training in our in-house Police Academy that started on Friday (August 14, 2009)”, said Chief Gagliardi.

“Thanks to the outstanding work of our Chief of Police, William Gagliardi, and New Britain’s excellent police force, New Britain has become a safer place for the people who live here,” Stewart continued. “It has been a priority of my administration since taking office nearly six years ago to make

New Britain a better place in which to live, work and raise a family and this latest report of crime statistics shows that we are on the right track. With a new class of police officers beginning training right now, we will increase our efforts to make the City even safer for all those who live and work here,” Stewart concluded