Submitted by Rick Green, Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection
(October 17, 2026) — The Crime in Connecticut report for the first half of 2026 shows a continued decrease in some of the most serious reported offenses, including aggravated assault, robbery, and criminal sexual contact. “We are committed to sharing the latest data with local law enforcement so that we can work together to continue to make this one of the safest states in the nation,’’ said DESPP Commissioner Ronnell A. Higgins. “Importantly, this also shows us where we have more work to do.”
Some categories for reported crime data show increases, such as homicide, which has declined over the long term but has trended up in 2026. For the first two quarters of 2026, there were 37 recorded fatalities due to murder or negligent homicide. For the same period in 2025 the number was 31. “We are sharing these quarterly reports with law enforcement and the public because we want to highlight what’s working, as well as areas that should be addressed,’’ said DESPP Chief Data Officer Dr. Michael Mascari.
Here are some additional key findings from the new data, which combine the first two quarters of 2026, compared to the same period in 2025:
— Crimes against persons dropped by 11.4 percent. This includes decreases in aggravated assault (16.1 percent) and criminal sexual contact (8.9 percent), and an increase in kidnapping or abduction (12. percent).
— Crimes against property dropped by 11.4 percent. This includes decreases in robbery (20.6 percent) and embezzlement (32.2 percent) Crimes against property make up the largest share of more serious “Group A” crimes.
— Crimes against society dropped by 8.6 percent. This includes decreases in weapon law violations (19.7 percent) and drug and narcotic violations (4.5 percent).
The latest data shows an increase of 9.7 percent in driving under the influence offenses for the first half of 2026 compared to the same period in 2025. Municipal police chiefs say this is due to increased targeted enforcement in towns and cities in the state.
Commissioner Higgins has made preparation and release of the annual and quarterly Crime in Connecticut reports, prepared by DESPP’s Crime Analysis Unit, a priority. Police chiefs are briefed each quarter, with the most recent meeting taking place in Waterbury this past week. The Crime in Connecticut data has been collected through reporting to the National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS) since 2021. Law enforcement agencies across the nation now submit data to NIBRS, which provides a more comprehensive reporting of criminal incidents of criminal offenses.
DESPP also provides detailed and up-to-date data on municipal crimes here. Click here for the full report, as well as other DESPP data, including hate crimes statistics and the traffic stop dashboard.
