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Connecticut crime levels have reached their lowest point in five years, according to a recent report by the state’s Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection.

In the first quarter of 2026, 22,635 crimes were reported, fewer than any other quarter over a five-year period. Less crime typically occurs in the first quarter of the year, in part because cold weather keeps people indoors. The Connecticut data reflects a national trend of reduced crime, according to the FBI’s Crime Data Explorer.

In a press release, Col. Daniel Loughman, commanding officer of the Connecticut State Police, attributed these lower numbers to “the sustained daily efforts of our troopers and our local and federal law enforcement partners.”

Data consisted of the number of crimes reported by all Connecticut law enforcement agencies to DESPP. The report’s introduction states that data excludes “unreported or unfounded crimes,” as well as “incidents containing crimes that have not passed the FBI’s audit for completeness or accuracy.”

Crimes against property decreased by 17% compared to the first quarter of last year, maintaining a four-year downward streak. The annual decline of such crimes between the first quarter of 2025 and 2026 was the steepest in the past five years. Crimes against persons, which include murder, sexual assault and kidnapping, dropped by 15% compared to the first quarter of 2025.

Compared to the first quarter of 2025, the number of incidents decreased for all but two offenses: theft of motor vehicle parts increased by 5%, and driving under the influence increased by 8%. 

A report published by van der Veen, Hartshorn & Levin, a Philadelphia-based law firm, found that Hartford had 14.91 fatal drunken driving accidents per 100,000 people between 2018 and 2022 — the fifth-highest rate among the country’s 300 largest cities. Waterbury and New Haven also made the list, ranking 13th and 60th respectively. No other New England cities were featured in the report.

Some of the biggest decreases in offenses include stolen property offenses, which declined by 38.5%, and destruction, damage and vandalism, which fell by 30%.

“For the fourth quarter in 2025, we said these were the lowest numbers we had seen for crimes against persons and crimes against property,” said Michael Mascari, DESPP’s chief data officer. “And in 2026, we outpaced ourselves.”

Calista is a data reporting intern with CT Mirror. She is a rising senior at Yale University majoring in History and English. Last year, Calista reported for the Sacramento Bee’s metro desk, covering politics, science and the environment, and education. She previously served as co-editor-in-chief of The New Journal, a long-form journalism magazine about Yale and New Haven.