Overall crime in Wall Township increased in 2011 from 2010, according to data released with the state's 2011 Uniform Crime Report.

The increase was owed entirely to a jump in the number of nonviolent crimes recorded in the township, bucking statistics found in greater Monmouth County, where crime was on the wane from 2010 to 2011. However, Wall's experience is in keeping with what the state saw overall, as there was a 3 percent increase in overall crime in New Jersey from 2010 to 2011, with increases in murder, robbery and rape. 

Wall recorded 475 total incidents in 2011, up from 410 in 2010. However, the vast majority of crimes recorded were nonviolent — categorized as burglaries, larcenies, motor vehicle thefts and arson — with 459 incidents in 2011 compared to 391 in 2010. The number of violent incidents dropped, from 19 in 2010 to 16 in 2011.

The large jump in nonviolent crimes is attributed to many more larcenies (thefts without a weapon or force) in 2011, with 328 as compared to 274 in 2010. There were 114 burglaries in the township in 2011, up from 2010's 102. Wall also experienced a slight rise in motor vehicle thefts, with 17 in 2011 as compared to 15 in 2010.

The 16 violent crimes in Wall last year were largely aggravated assaults (13), with two robberies and one murder. 

Arthur E. Morgan III, father of 2-year-old Tierra Morgan-Glover, was indicted on first-degree murder charges after police found his 2-year-old daughter dead in Shark River Park late 2011.

The overall crime rate per 1,000 residents increased from 15.7 in 2010 to 18.2 in 2011, with the nonviolent rate per 1,000 jumping from 14.9 in 2010 to 17.5 in 2011.

Countywide, the crime rate per 1,000 residents dropped from 24.2 in 2010 to 23.7 in 2011, and the violent crime rate fell from 2.0 per 1,000 to 1.8 per 1,000. The nonviolent crime rate also dipped, with 22.2 incidents per 1,000 in 2010 to 21.9 in 2011.

Monmouth also recorded declines in every recorded violent crime category. The overall incidents of crime was 15,237 in 2010 as compared to 14,957 in 2011.

As required by statute, all law enforcement agencies in the state submit monthly and annual summary crime reports to the Uniform Crime Reporting Program, under the NJ State Police.

Information about 2012 will be released in December 2013.