Torrington crimes drop in 2024

TORRINGTON (WNE) — Crime in Torrington was down in 2024, according to the Torrington Police Department.

Overall, the department recorded 232 incidents of crime last year, down from 271 in 2023 and 281 in 2022.

Broken down by category, there were decreases—at least minor—in sex offenses, assaults, burglaries, thefts (including motor vehicle theft), vandalism, and drug offenses.

This reduction aligns with the downward trend, particularly in violent crime, reported nationally by the FBI over the past few years.

The only offenses which saw an increase were forgery and fraud. Fraud incidents went from six in 2023 to eleven in 2024.

“One of the evolving threats to members of our community that I would like to underscore is the growing risk of scams,” said Torrington Chief of Police Matt Johnson, who said the increase in cases of fraud is primarily through telephone calls or the internet.

“As we have become more dependent on technology, we are ever more susceptible to sophisticated criminals who have learned to manipulate people and technology to their advantage,” he said. “Unfortunately, many of the perpetrators who commit these crimes, do so from outside of the United States, where there is virtually no recourse for their actions.”

Johnson stressed the importance of prevention against fraud.

“We continue to implore members of our community to exercise the very highest levels of caution with their personal information and when they are contacted about financial or relationship concerns,” Johnson said.

This story was published on January 24, 2025.