FBI: Rapes more than triple in Bridgeport

BRIDGEPORT -- The number of forcible rapes reported in the city more than tripled from 2011 to 2012, according to statistics released by the FBI on Monday.

The 388 forcible rapes reported in Bridgeport in 2012 were more than three times the number reported in Hartford, New Haven, Stamford and Waterbury combined in 2012, according to the FBI's Preliminary Annual Uniform Crime Report.

New Haven's 55 reported rapes in 2012 were the next highest among the five Connecticut cities included in the FBI report.

In Bridgeport, the 2012 spike in rapes came a year after another dramatic increase. In 2011, the number of rapes in Bridgeport jumped to 116 from 57 reported in 2010.

Nationally, the number of forcible rapes dropped by three-tenths of a percent from 2011 to 2012, the FBI report said.

Bridgeport also saw a year-over-year increase in homicides in 2012. There were 22 murders in the Park City last year compared to 20 in 2011, according to the report.

Nationally, there was a 1.5-percent increase in murder and non-negligent manslaughter in 2012.

domalley@ctpost.com, @domalleyctpost, 203-330-6230