The Capital Region features the best and worst counties for crime in Upstate New York in the FBI’s newly released statistics for 2021.

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The Federal Bureau of Investigation released its 2021 Most Dangerous Counties report for the entire state using its Uniform Crime Reporting system, which counts all violent and property-based criminal incidents self-reported by local law enforcement.

The New York Civil Liberties Union and law enforcement alike wonder how honest the reporting is, with individual police forces in charge of reporting their own numbers without including demographics. The FBI is moving away from the Uniform Crime Reporting system to a National Incident-Based Reporting System that includes demographic info of the area and arrested individuals, with more stringent requirements for what gets reported.

Which County Was Number Two?

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Schenectady County has the second highest reported number of crimes for any county outside of New York City.

Schenectady PD reported 1,880 property crimes and 529 violent crimes over the last five years, which puts the Electric City at a higher per capita crime rate than New York City in the FBI report. According to the Daily Gazette, Schenectady Police says they place a strict priority on correctly reporting every documented incident.

Neighboring Rotterdam reported 784 property crimes, as opposed to 33 violent crimes. Thefts from vehicles make up the lion-share of reports.

Which County Was Number One?

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Outside of NYC Counties, Albany County had the most reported violent and property-based crimes.

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Within Albany city limits, the FBI report shows increased aggravated assault, murder, and car thefts coming out of the COVID pandemic. Colonie Police indicate an extremely elevated level of property crimes related to retail theft. Nine out of ten property crimes in the city are theft, tied to the increased density of high-end stores – especially cosmetics.

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Overall, crime has dropped across the Capital Region, including both Schenectady and Albany counties.

Which County Had The Lowest Crime Rate in Upstate?

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The least amount of crimes reported by any county across Upstate New York was Saratoga County.

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