Welcome to the 2023 New Bedford Crime Analysis Report, a comprehensive overview of the city's law enforcement
landscape and the strides made in fostering a safer community. This annual report is a testament to our commitment to
transparency, accountability, and proactive measures to address crime. In an era where public trust in law enforcement is
paramount, we recognize the pivotal role of open communication and data-driven insights in fostering a harmonious
relationship between the police and the community they serve.
Transparency and accountability are the cornerstones upon which effective policing is built. In New Bedford, we
understand that cultivating trust with our residents requires a commitment to openness regarding our operations, policies,
and outcomes. Through initiatives like community policing, accessible data repositories, and regular reports such as this,
we strive to bridge the gap between law enforcement and the public, fostering an environment of mutual understanding
and cooperation. We firmly believe that transparency enhances public confidence and enables us to learn, adapt, and
improve our practices continuously.
In line with our dedication to progressive policing practices, we reaffirm our commitment to Integrating
Communications, Assessment, and Tactics (ICAT) training. This evidence-based approach equips our officers with the
necessary tools to effectively manage crisis situations while prioritizing de-escalation and minimizing the use of force.
Investing in comprehensive training programs empowers our personnel to navigate complex scenarios with empathy,
composure, and respect for human dignity, thus fostering safer interactions and reducing the likelihood of unnecessary
conflict.
As we navigate the evolving law enforcement landscape, we recognize the importance of bolstering our ranks with
dedicated, community-minded professionals. Whereas 2023 was an unfortunate year for staffing, there is ample reason
to be optimistic for a better 2024. A number of officers have returned to our department, and we continue to train more
recruits. We have intensified our efforts to recruit and hire a diverse group of police officers who reflect the demographics
and values of the communities they serve. By fostering inclusivity and diversity within our ranks, we aim to strengthen
trust, enhance cultural competence, and promote a more equitable approach to policing. Through strategic recruitment
strategies and competitive incentives, we remain steadfast in our commitment to building a resilient, responsive, and
community-oriented police force that stands as a beacon of safety and service in New Bedford.
I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to the people of New Bedford for their unwavering support and cooperation.
Your partnership is invaluable as we strive for a safer community. I also want to recognize the dedication of our police
department staff, whose hard work and commitment continue to make our achievements possible.
Chief Paul Oliveira
New Bedford Police Department, Annual Report, 2023 | 1
1. Contents
1. Contents .................................................................................................................................................... 1
2. Methodology ............................................................................................................................................. 3
1. Best Data at the Time ...................................................................................................................... 3
2. Crime Incident Calculations ............................................................................................................. 3
3. Demographics .................................................................................................................................. 3
4. Arrest Calculations ........................................................................................................................... 4
5. Calls For Service ............................................................................................................................... 4
6. Mapping ........................................................................................................................................... 4
3. Overview ................................................................................................................................................... 5
4. Homicide ................................................................................................................................................... 6
5. Sexual Assault ........................................................................................................................................... 8
6. Robbery ..................................................................................................................................................... 9
7. Assault ..................................................................................................................................................... 11
1. Aggravated Assaults ....................................................................................................................... 11
2. Simple Assaults .............................................................................................................................. 13
8. Burglary/B&E ........................................................................................................................................... 16
9. Larceny .................................................................................................................................................... 17
1. Catalytic Converters ....................................................................................................................... 18
10. Arson ..................................................................................................................................................... 19
11. Motor Vehicle Theft .............................................................................................................................. 21
12. Arrests ................................................................................................................................................... 25
1. Arrest Demographics ..................................................................................................................... 26
2. Arrests By Age Group ..................................................................................................................... 27
3. Arrests By Sex ................................................................................................................................. 27
4. Juvenile Arrests .............................................................................................................................. 28
5. Firearm Arrests & Seizures............................................................................................................. 28
6. Drug Arrests ................................................................................................................................... 28
13. Shots Fired ............................................................................................................................................ 30
14. Calls For Service .................................................................................................................................... 33
1. Call Reasons ................................................................................................................................... 34
15. Mental Health ....................................................................................................................................... 36
1. Co-Response Clinician (Child & Family Services, Inc.) .................................................................... 36
2. Co-Response Clinician (North Star) ................................................................................................ 36
2 | New Bedford Police Department, Annual Report, 2023
16. Domestic Violence ................................................................................................................................ 37
1. Domestic Verbal Arguments .......................................................................................................... 37
2. Domestic Assaults .......................................................................................................................... 38
17. Overdoses ............................................................................................................................................. 40
1. Demographics ................................................................................................................................ 41
18. Traffic .................................................................................................................................................... 42
1. Traffic Stops ................................................................................................................................... 42
2. Citations ......................................................................................................................................... 43
New Bedford Police Department, Annual Report, 2023 | 3
2. Methodology
In addition to specific methodological methodologies listed throughout this report, general methodology
can be found below.
1. Best Data at the Time
All statistics, including yearly totals, are calculated using the best available data at the time. Occasionally,
after our reports are published, factors determined during investigation will cause us to reclassify a crime
to a higher or lower category, and discrepancies between current and past reports may result. In all cases,
the more recent data is the more correct data.
2. Crime Incident Calculations
Crime incidents are calculated in this report using NIBRS categories, without hierarchy calculation and
with related/duplicate incidents excluded. That is, incidents with offenses in multiple categories will count
to each category for which an offense is present, multiple arrests from a single incident are counted as
one incident, and arrests where there is also an incident report are excluded. Incidents with multiple
offense categories within a NIBRS category, such as Larceny/Theft Offenses (23A-H) or Sex Offenses (11A-
D; 36A-B,360), are counted once to the NIBRS category as indicated in the report, rather than once per
unique offense category. In the case of assaults, simple assaults are excluded where an aggravated assault
charge is also present.
As such, the numbers reported in this document will vary from those calculated by the FBI UCR/NIBRS
program, with the variation differing depending on the characteristics of each NIBRS category and their
position within the NIBRS hierarchy. A comparison of prior FBI UCR/NIBRS data indicates that trends are
similar in nature to those found in this report.
3. Demographics
The categories used by New Bedford Police Department’s (NBPD) Record Management System (RMS) to
record race data follow FBI UCR Program categories and are outlined below in Table 2.3.1. These
categories can be compared with Census race categories provided in Table 2.3.2. Of note in the New
Bedford context two Census categories in the 2020 Decennial Census
1
that are not present in the NBPD
RMS, Some Other Race alone and Two or more races, comprised approximately 31% (total) of the New
Bedford population.
An individual’s race in the NBPD’s RMS is obtained from a range of various sources, including partner
agencies and officer observation. A record of the source and when it was entered or updated is not stored
within the RMS.
For these reasons, comparing NBPD’s race populations with self-reported census data is problematic and
cautioned against.
1
Data source: 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)
4 | New Bedford Police Department, Annual Report, 2023
Table 2.3.1: NBPD RMS/NIBRS Race Categories.
Race Category
Asian
American Indian/Alaskan Native
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
White
Unknown
Table 2.3.2: Census Race Categories.
Race Category
Asian
alone
Black
or African American alone
American Indian and Alaskan Native alone
Hawaiian or Other
Pacific Islander alone
White
alone
Some Other Race alone
Two or more races
Also following FBI UCR Program protocol is the ethnicity of individuals, which is stored in the NBPD RMS
as a separate variable and comprises the three categories listed in Table 3.2.3. As with race data, an
individual’s ethnicity in the NBPD’s RMS is obtained from a range of various sources, including partner
agencies and officer observation. A record of the source and when it was entered or updated is not stored
within the RMS. Again, for these reasons, comparing ethnic populations with self-reported census data is
problematic and cautioned against.
Table 2.3.3 RMS Ethnicity Categories, NBPD.
Race Category
Hispanic Origin
Not of Hispanic Origin
Unknown
Race and ethnicity are provided in this report by the cross-tabulation of race and ethnicity.
4. Arrest Calculations
All arrest calculations are made excluding protective custodies.
5. Calls For Service
In New Bedford, Calls For Service (CFS) represent all non-administrative calls, from all call sources. Both
calls initiated by a member of the public, through telephone or walk-ins, and calls that are officer initiated
are included. Calls are not differentiated by whether or not an officer is listed as being dispatched, as
some calls, for example when a desk officer investigates a walk-in complaint, are built without a unit
‘dispatched’ to the call.
6. Mapping
Incidents in the maps included in this document are each represented by a dot/point. In the instance of
multiple incidents at a given address, the dots will appear as one, ‘stacked’ on each other. As such, the
number of dots/points on a graph may not add to the number of incidents reported.
New Bedford Police Department, Annual Report, 2023 | 5
3. Overview
As defined by the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Part A violent crimes consist of murder (09A),
rape (11A-D), robbery (120) and aggravated assault (13A). Arson (200), burglary (220), larceny (23A-H),
and motor vehicle theft (240) are in the Part A property crime category. Table 3.1 shows the crime totals.
Between 2014 and 2023 violent crime incidents in New Bedford decreased by 58%, from 1,172 to 490
incidents. Robbery incidents decreased 61%, rape incidents decreased by 34% and aggravated assaults
decreased by 62%. Property crime decreased by 54% between 2014 and 2023, from 3,452 to 1,583
incidents, with a 71% decrease in burglaries, a 57% decrease in larcenies and a 68% decrease in arson.
There was a 34% increase in motor vehicle theft in the same time period.
Table 3.1: Part A Crimes, New Bedford, Ma, 2014-2023.
Crime
20
1
4
202
3
% Change
Violent
2
:
1
,
172
490
-
5
8
%
Murder (09A)
6
4
-
33
%
Rape (11A
-
D)
131
87
-
34%
Robbery (120)
261
10
3
-
61
%
Aggravated Assault
(13A)
839
320
-
62
%
Proper
ty
2
:
3,
452
1,
583
-
5
4
%
Arson (
2
00)
1
9
6
-
68%
Burglary
899
260
-
71%
Larceny
(23A
-
H)
2392
1034
-
57%
Motor Vehicle Theft
(240)
259
347
+34%
Total:
4,
573
2,
0
56
-
5
5
%
2
Due to incidents having multiple offense categories, the number of incidents in each category do not sum to the
totals. For violent crime the difference is largely due to the number of robberies that also include an aggravated
assault offense and are thus counted in each category in this report, but only once to the total.
6 | New Bedford Police Department, Annual Report, 2023
4. Homicide
In 2023, there were four reported homicides in the city of New Bedford, each with a single victim. This
was an increase of one from 2019, when there were 3 homicides, as represented in Figure 4.1. All four
cases were solved.
Figure 4.1: Homicide (NIBRS 09A) Incidents, New Bedford, MA, 2019-2023.
Firearms were the most common weapon used in homicides in 2023 and were used in three of the four
incidents.
Table 4.1 Weapon used in homicides, 2023, New Bedford.
Weapon
Used
Count
Firearm
3
Knife
1
New Bedford Police Department, Annual Report, 2023 | 7
Figure 4.2: Map of Homicides, New Bedford, MA, 2023
8 | New Bedford Police Department, Annual Report, 2023
5. Sexual Assault
The number of reported sexual assault incidents in 2023 was 87, a decrease of 43 incidents (-33%) from
2019’s 130 incidents.
Figure 5.1: Sexual Assault (NIBRS 11A-D) incidents, New Bedford, MA, 2023.
New Bedford Police Department, Annual Report, 2023 | 9
6. Robbery
The number of robbery incidents reported in New Bedford in 2023 was 103, a decrease of 73 (-41%) from
2019, when there were 176 robberies reported. Of the 103 robberies, 47 were armed robberies and 56
were unarmed robberies.
Figure 6.1: Robbery (NIBRS 120) Incidents, New Bedford, MA, 2023.
Firearms were reported as having been used in 17 of the 103 robberies in 2023. Knives were used in 26
robberies, during one of which a firearm was also present. Blunt objects were used in 5 robberies.
Table 6.1: Weapons Used in Robberies, New Bedford, MA, 2023.
Weapon Count
Firearm
17
Knife
26
Blunt Object
5
Unknown/Other
4
There were 93 person-on-person robberies in New Bedford in 2023. There were 10 commercial robberies.
Table 6.2: Robberies by Type, New Bedford, MA, 2023.
Type Count
Person
93
Commercial
10
10 | New Bedford Police Department, Annual Report, 2023
Figure 6.2: Map of Robberies, New Bedford, MA, 2023
New Bedford Police Department, Annual Report, 2023 | 11
7. Assault
1. Aggravated Assaults
The number of incidents containing an aggravated assault offense in New Bedford in 2023 totaled 320, a
18% decrease (69 incidents) from 2019, when there were 389 aggravated assault incidents reported. As
shown in Section 16, the proportion of aggravated assaults incidents in 2023 that were domestic involved
was 39%.
Figure 7.1.1: Aggravated Assault (NIBRS 13A) Incidents, New Bedford, MA, 2019 - 2023.
Across the year, the most aggravated assaults took place in the hour between 5pm and 6pm, with 23
aggravated assaults during this hour of the day. The most aggravated assaults took place on a Friday, with
64 aggravated assaults. Saturday was the second busiest, with 52 incidents. Tuesdays had the fewest
aggravated assaults reported, with 35 incidents.
Friday, between 3pm and 4pm, and between 5pm and 6pm, were the two highest single hours of the
week with 7 aggravated assaults taking place during each of these hours of the week. This was followed
by Fridays between 7pm and 8pm, and Saturdays between 5pm and 6pm with 6 each. The least busy hours
were generally between 3am and 10am during weekdays.
Table 7.1.1: Aggravated Assaults by Time of Day, Day of Week, New Bedford, MA, 2023.
Hour of the Day
00
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
Total
Mon
3 1 1 2 0 1 1 0 1 1 3 1 1 1 2 5 1 0 4 1 1 1 2 2
36
Tue
0 1 2 0 3 0 0 1 2 1 2 2 1 0 1 2 3 1 2 2 2 3 3 1
35
Wed
4 3 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 3 3 2 2 2 2 1 3 2 3 2 3 2 5 4
49
Thu
2 5 2 0 2 0 0 1 0 2 3 0 0 3 2 2 2 4 1 1 1 3 5 2
43
Fri
1 1 0 3 0 1 0 1 3 0 3 5 4 3 4 7 1 7 2 6 3 4 2 3
64
Sat
4 3 5 2 3 2 1 1 0 2 2 1 1 0 3 0 1 3 2 3 3 2 3 5
52
Sun
3 2 3 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 6 4 1 2 3 0 2
41
Total
17
16
14
9
9
4
4
4
7
9
17
12
10
11
16
19
13
23
18
16
15
18
20
19
320
12 | New Bedford Police Department, Annual Report, 2023
The race and ethnicity of aggravated assault victims in 2023 is provided in table 7.1.2 below. The
proportion of aggravated assault victims who are listed as white is 70%, with 46.1% white not Hispanic
and 22.6% white Hispanic. The proportion of aggravated assault victims who are listed as black is 27.6%,
with 18.2% black not Hispanic and 7.6% black Hispanic.
Table 7.1.2: Race and Ethnicity of Aggravated Assault (NIBRS 13A) Victims, New Bedford, MA, 2023.
Race
Ethnicity
Not
Hispanic
Hispanic Unknown
Total
Asian
<1% 0.0% 0.0% <1%
Black
18.2% 7.6% 1.8% 27.6%
American
Indian/Alaskan Native
0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Hawaiian or Other
Pacific Islander
0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
White
46.1% 22.6% 1.3% 70.0%
Unknown
0% 0% 1.6% 1.6%
Total
65.0% 30.3% 4.7% 100%
As shown in Table 7.1.3, males were the victims of a majority of aggravated assaults (61.8%), with females
representing 38% of victims of aggravated assault.
Table 7.1.3: Sex of Aggravated Assault Victims, New Bedford, MA, 2023.
Sex
Count
Female
38
%
Male
6
2
%
Unknown
0
%
Total
100%
Looking at the age of victims of aggravated assault, those aged between 30 and 34 years (inclusive) were
the largest age group. This group was followed by 20–24-year-olds and 25–29-year-olds as the two second
largest age groups.
New Bedford Police Department, Annual Report, 2023 | 13
Figure 7.1.2: Age of Aggravated Assault Victims, New Bedford, MA, 2023.
2. Simple Assaults
The number of simple assault incidents reported in New Bedford totaled 1,415 in 2023, a decrease of 217
incidents (-13%) from 1,632 incidents in 2019. As shown in Section 16, 56% of simple assaults were
domestic involved.
Figure 7.2.1: Simple Assault (NIBRS 13B) Incidents, New Bedford, MA, 2019 - 2023.
Table 7.2.1 shows that simple assaults most frequently took place on Sundays (245), with Saturday second
most common day of the week (219). Thursdays and Mondays had the fewest simple assault incidents
(170 and 179 respectively). The busiest hour of the day was 6-7pm (100), with 4-5pm and 8-9pm the two
second busiest hours (97) and 5-6am the least busy hour of the day (17). Sunday between 2-3am was
the busiest hour of the week, with 22 incidents.
14 | New Bedford Police Department, Annual Report, 2023
Table 7.2.1: Simple Assaults by Time of Day, Day of Week, New Bedford, MA, 2023.
Hour of the Day
00
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18 19
20
21
22
23
Total
Day of the Week
Mon
6 4 6 4 2 2 2 6 7 4 10
9 6 11
9 15
16
10
13 9 8 7 7 6 179
Tue
3 4 3 5 1 2 0 3 10
7 5 9 14
15
6 11
12
14
13 8 16
9 14
7 191
Wed
10
7 3 3 0 1 4 5 6 9 6 10
11
10
9 9 12
10
18 7 14
11
14
6 195
Thu
11
8 2 0 1 0 2 2 4 14
6 5 1 8 11
10
9 12
15 9 12
11
10
7 170
Fri
8 6 7 7 4 1 4 4 4 4 8 8 12
7 7 7 21
20
12 16
14
18
8 9 216
Sat
15
11
11
6 5 6 3 2 3 4 10
10
5 9 8 7 11
10
17 13
12
12
16
13
219
Sun
15
11
22
9 6 5 6 4 4 10
5 4 9 11
16
9 16
11
12 10
21
19
5 5 245
Total
68
51
54
34
19
17
21
26
38
52
50
55
58
71
66
68
97
87
100
72
97
87
74
53
1,415
The race and ethnicity of simple assault victims in 2023 is provided in table 7.2.2 below. The proportion
of simple assault victims who are listed as white is 72.7%, with 51.9% white non-Hispanic and 18.1% white
Hispanic. The proportion of simple assault victims who are listed as black is 24.3%, with 15.7% black non-
Hispanic and 7.5% black Hispanic.
Table 7.2.2: Race and Ethnicity of Simple Assault (NIBRS 13B) Victims, New Bedford, MA, 2023.
Race
Ethnicity
Not
Hispanic
Hispanic Unknown
Total
Asian
0.0% <1% 0.0% <1%
Black
15.7% 7.5% 1.2% 24.3%
American
Indian/Alaskan Native
<1% <1% 0.0% <1%
Hawaiian or Other
Pacific Islander
0.0% <1% 0.0% <1%
White
51.9% 18.1% 2.7% 72.7%
Unknown
0.2% 1.0% 1.2% 2.4%
Total
67.9% 27.0% 5.1% 100%
As shown in Table 7.2.3, the proportion of simple assault victims that were male was 41%, with females
representing the remaining 59% of victims. This proportion is the reverse of aggravated assaults, where
male victims make up the majority of victims.
Table 7.2.3: Sex of Simple Assault Victims, New Bedford, MA, 2023.
Sex
Count
Female
59
%
Male
4
1
%
Unknown
0
%
Total
100%
New Bedford Police Department, Annual Report, 2023 | 15
Looking at the age of victims of simple assault, those aged between 35 and 39 years (inclusive) were the
largest age group. This group was followed by 30–34-year-olds, which were the second largest age group.
Figure 7.2.4: Age of Simple Assault Victims, New Bedford, MA, 2023.
16 | New Bedford Police Department, Annual Report, 2023
8. Burglary/B&E
In 2023 there were 260 burglary/B&E incidents in New Bedford, as defined by the NIBRs 220 category
3
,
‘the unlawful entry into a building or other structure with the intent to commit a felony or a theft.’ This
was a decrease of 132 incidents (-34%) from 2019, when there were 392 incidents.
Figure 8.1: Burglary/B&E (NIBRS 220) Incidents, New Bedford, MA, 2019 - 2023.
When considering burglaries/B&Es by month, July was the highest, with 36 incidents, followed by April
with 29. January had the fewest burglary/B&Es, with 9 incidents.
Figure 8.1: Burglary/B&E (NIBRS 220) Incidents, New Bedford, MA, 2023.
3
Per NIBRS, B&E into motor vehicle is contained within larcenies.
New Bedford Police Department, Annual Report, 2023 | 17
9. Larceny
There were 1,034 larcenies
4
reported in New Bedford in 2023, an overall decrease of 548 incidents (35%)
from the 1,582 reported in 2019, following a flat period between 2020 and 2022.
Figure 9.1: Larceny (NIBRS 23A-H) Incidents, New Bedford, MA, 2019-2023.
By month, September was the busiest month of the year for larcenies, with 117 incidents reported,
followed by July with 114. February and April, with 59 and 73 incidents respectively, had the fewest
incidents.
Figure 9.2: Larceny (NIBRS 23A-H) Incidents, New Bedford, MA, 2023.
4
As defined by the NIBRs 23A-H categories
18 | New Bedford Police Department, Annual Report, 2023
1. Catalytic Converters
There was a significant decrease in the number catalytic converter thefts reported in New Bedford in
2023, following national trends associated with the prior increase in price of platinum-group metals. In
2023 there were 27 incidents of catalytic converter theft reported in New Bedford, compared with the
peak of 95 incidents in 2022 and two in 2019.
With incidents where multiple vehicles were targeted and the number of catalytic converters on vehicles
varying depending on the specific vehicle model, a total of 41 catalytic converters were reported stolen
in 2023.
Figure 9.1.1: Catalytic Converter Theft Incidents, New Bedford, MA, 2019-2023.
New Bedford Police Department, Annual Report, 2023 | 19
10. Arson
In 2023 there were six arson incidents (NIBRS 200) reported to the New Bedford Police Department, an
increase of one incident (+20%) from the five arson incidents reported in 2019. A map of arson incidents
can be found in Figure 10.2.
Figure 10.1: Arson Incidents, New Bedford, MA, 2019 - 2023.
The geographic distribution of arsons in New Bedford in 2023 is provided on the following page in figure
10.2.
20 | New Bedford Police Department, Annual Report, 2023
Fig 10.2: Map of Arson Incidents, New Bedford, MA, 2023.
New Bedford Police Department, Annual Report, 2023 | 21
11. Motor Vehicle Theft
In 2023 there were 347 motor vehicle theft (NIBRS 240) incidents reported in the city of New Bedford.
There has been an increase of 184 incidents (+117%) since 2019, when there were 156 thefts, with most
of the increase between 2022 and 2023 attributable to a TikTok “Kia Challenge” involving Hyundais and
Kias.
Figure 11.1 MV Theft (NIBRS 240) Incidents, New Bedford, MA, 2019 - 2023.
By month, motor vehicle thefts trended up from 11 incidents in January through September when they
peaked at 64 incidents, before trending down through December (18 incidents). Of the 347 motor vehicle
theft incidents in 2023, 53 were attempted thefts and 294 were successful thefts. With multiple vehicles
being taken in five incidents, a total of 299 vehicles were successfully stolen in 2023
5
.
Figure 11.2 MV Theft Incidents (NIBRS 240) by Month, New Bedford, MA, 2023.
5
Subsequent analysis of ‘vehicles stolen’ refer only to those successfully stolen.
22 | New Bedford Police Department, Annual Report, 2023
Per NIBRs definitions, all land based motorized vehicles (that do not run on rails) are included in the stolen
motor vehicle category. As such, scooters, mopeds and recreational vehicles, which represent 55 (18%) of
the 299 vehicles stolen in New Bedford in 2023, are included in this category.
Table 11.1: Vehicles Stolen by Vehicle Type, New Bedford, MA, 2023.
Type
Count
Dirt Bike
5
Scooter/Moped
50
Motorcycle
15
Unknown
1
All Others
228
Total
299
Excluding bikes, scooters and mopeds, Hyundai, Honda, Kia, Chevrolet and Ford vehicles were the top five
stolen vehicle makes in New Bedford in 2023. Reflecting the TikTok challenge, Hyundai Elantras and
Hyundai Sonatas were the two most stolen vehicle models in New Bedford in 2023, with Kia Sportages
the fifth most frequently stolen. Honda Accords and Honda Civics were the third most commonly stolen
model.
Table 11.2: Top Five Makes Stolen, New Bedford,
MA, 2023.
Make
Count.
1
Hyundai
4
4
2
Honda
35
3
Kia
25
4
Chevrolet
1
8
5
Ford
1
6
Table 11.3: Top Five Models Stolen, New
Bedford, MA, 2023.
Make
Model
Count.
1
Hyundai
Elantra
21
2
Hyundai
Sonata
1
1
3
=
Honda
Accord
1
0
3=
Honda
Civic
1
0
5
Kia
Sportage
8
Kias and Hyundais, popularized nationally by a TikTok challenge, represented nearly all of the 53 vehicles
involved in attempted thefts, with 29 and 22 vehicles subject to an attempted theft respectively.
When considering the age of vehicles stolen, 2020 model year vehicles were the most stolen vehicles in
New Bedford in 2023, with 28 vehicles stolen. 2016 model year vehicles were the second most stolen,
with 24 vehicles, followed by 2021, with 23 vehicles stolen.
New Bedford Police Department, Annual Report, 2023 | 23
Figure 11.3: Vehicle Stolen by Model Year, New Bedford, MA, 2023.
The geographic distribution of motor vehicle thefts in New Bedford in 2023 is provided on the following
page in figure 11.4.
24 | New Bedford Police Department, Annual Report, 2023
Figure 11.4 Map of Motor Vehicle Theft, New Bedford, MA, 2023.
New Bedford Police Department, Annual Report, 2023 | 25
12. Arrests
The New Bedford Police Department made 2,131 arrests
6
in 2023. Arrests in 2023 were 46% lower than
in 2019, when 4,002 arrests were made by the New Bedford Police Department.
Figure 12.1 Arrest by Year, New Bedford, MA, 2019-2023.
Looking by month, arrests generally decreased over the course of 2023. Arrests were highest in January,
when there were 212 arrests and fewest in February, when there were 136 arrests. After increasing
through May (205 arrests), arrests decreased through December (147 arrests).
Figure 12.2 Arrest by Month, New Bedford, MA, 2023.
Arrestees were charged with a felony offense in 569 of the 2,131 arrests made by the New Bedford Police
Department in 2023, with a further 913 arrestees charged with a misdemeanor charge. The remaining
649 arrestees were charged with ordinance violations or arrested on an active warrant.
6
All arrests figures exclude protective custodies.
26 | New Bedford Police Department, Annual Report, 2023
As shown in Figure 12.1, Fridays were the busiest day for arrests by the New Bedford Police Department,
with 350 arrests made on a Friday in 2023, followed by Tuesdays with 327 arrests made. The fewest
arrests were made on Sundays, with 245 arrests made. Arrests were generally lowest between the hours
of 4am and 10am, and highest between the hours of 1pm and 11pm. While the most arrests were made
between the hours of 7pm and 8pm, with 169 arrests made in 2023, the busiest single hour of the week
was Tuesdays between 3pm and 4pm, with 38 arrests.
Table 12.1: Arrests by Time of Day, Day of Week, New Bedford, MA, 2023.
Hour of the Day
00
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
11
12
13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
Total
Day of the Week
Mon
5 7 7 1 4 2 1 3 2 8 3 6 14
19
18
29
16
21
29
25
28
17
16
13
294
Tue
2 9 7 7 3 2 2 3 4 8 6 1 12
36
24
38
16
21
32
28
20
25
14
7
327
Wed
11
10
5 3 4 0 1 2 4 3 3 7 12
24
25
23
20
25
23
22
34
17
26
14
318
Thu
8 10
10
6 4 3 1 6 3 7 5 7 7 29
19
15
13
19
28
24
8 17
20
9
278
Fri
10
5 7 5 7 3 1 1 4 0 7 4 16
29
34
26
14
33
24
35
25
19
23
18
350
Sat
11
18
21
12
5 5 2 0 1 4 17
21
24
10
19
24
13
15
18
20
12
17
14
16
319
Sun
15
14
14
15
6 8 6 4 3 3 5 9 8 7 16
5 12
16
11
15
15
19
8 11
245
Total
62
73
71
49
33
23
14
19
21
33
46
55
93
154
155
160
104
150
165
169
142
131
121
88
2,131
1. Arrest Demographics
Offenders recorded in the department’s Record Management System as white represented 65% of the
individuals arrested, with white not Hispanic representing 42% of arrested individuals and white Hispanics
representing 22%. Individuals recorded as black represented 32% of all arrests, with 23% black not
Hispanic and 9% black Hispanic. Overall, 66% of arrestees are recorded as being not Hispanic, with 31%
recorded as Hispanic. The breakdown is provided below in Table 12.1.1 and in Figure 12.1.1:
Table 12.1.1: Race and Ethnicity of Individuals Arrested, New Bedford, MA, 2023
Race
Ethnicity
Not
Hispanic
Hispanic Unknown
Total
Asian
<1% <1% 0.0% <1%
Black
23.0% 8.6% <1% 32.4%
American
Indian/Alaskan Native
0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Hawaiian or Other
Pacific Islander
<1% 0.0% 0.0% <1%
White
42.4% 21.5% 1.5% 65.4%
Unknown
<1% <1% 1.3% 2.1%
Total
65.7% 30.7% 3.6% 100%
New Bedford Police Department, Annual Report, 2023 | 27
Figure 12.1.1: Race and Ethnicity of Individuals Arrested, New Bedford 2023
2. Arrests By Age Group
When breaking down arrests by the age of individuals arrested, 30- to 34-year-olds (inclusive) represented
the largest age group in 2023, with 332 arrests. The second highest group were 35- to 39-year-olds (322
arrests), followed by 25- to 29-year-olds (313 arrests). Half of all individuals arrested were between 27
years old and 44 years old. 40 of the 2,131 (2%) individuals arrested by the New Bedford Police
Department in 2023 were juveniles aged under 18.
Figure 12.2.1 Arrests by Age Group, New Bedford, MA, 2023
3. Arrests By Sex
The proportion of arrestees who are recorded as male in the department’s RMS is 76%, with females
representing 24% of arrestees.
Table 12.3.1: Sex of Individuals Arrested, New Bedford, MA, 2023.
Sex
Prop
.
Female
24
%
Male
76
%
Total
100%
28 | New Bedford Police Department, Annual Report, 2023
4. Juvenile Arrests
Juvenile arrets
7
by the New Bedford Police Department trended downwards between 2019 and 2023, with
40 juveniles arrested in New Bedford in 2023. The number of juvenile arrests in 2023 was 37% lower than
in 2019, when 63 juveniles were arrested. Felony offenses comprised 26 of the 40 arrests, an increase in
the proportion of juvenile arrests that were for felony offenses in 2019 (27 out of the 63).
Figure 12.4.1: Juvenile Arrests, New Bedford, MA, 2019-2023.
5. Firearm Arrests & Seizures
In 2023, the New Bedford Police Department made 35 firearms arrests. In total the New Bedford Police
Department seized 52 firearms
8
. Of these 52 firearms, four were ghost guns, 10 had defaced serials and
14 were unattended firearms.
Table 12.5.1: Firearms Seized, New Bedford, MA, 2023
Category
Count
Firearm
s
Seized
52
Ghost Guns
4
Defaced Serial
10
Unattended
1
4
6. Drug Arrests
There were 434 drug arrests
9
made by the New Bedford Police Department in 2023. This was 427 fewer
arrests than the 861 drug arrests made in 2019, a decrease of 50%.
7
Individuals under 18 years of age.
8
Defined as illegally possessed or unattended (block) firearms. Held for safekeeping and surrendered excluded.
9
Defined as arrests containing a NIBRS 35A charge.
New Bedford Police Department, Annual Report, 2023 | 29
Figure 12.6.1: Drug Arrests, New Bedford, MA, 2019-2023.
As shown in Figure 12.6.2 below, drug arrests in New Bedford fluctuated by month during 2023. The most
arrests (57) were made in May and the fewest were made in November (21).
Figure 12.6.2: Drug Arrests by Month, New Bedford, MA, 2023.
30 | New Bedford Police Department, Annual Report, 2023
13. Shots Fired
There were 67 confirmed shots fired in New Bedford in 2023, an increase of 32 incidents, (91%), from
2019 when there were 35 confirmed incidents. Of these 67 shots fired incidents, 3 were fatal, 21 resulted
in the injury of a total of 24 victims, and 42 resulted in property damage. In 16 cases there was no property
damage, injuries or fatalities, with other evidence such as shell casings or CCTV footage confirming the
incident.
Figure 13.1 Confirmed Shots-Fired Incidents, New Bedford, MA, 2019-2023
Table 13.1 Shots Fired Incidents, New Bedford, MA, 2023
Shots
-
Fired
Category
Count
Fatal
3
Non
-
Fatal
21
(
24
victims)
Property Damage
42
Other
16
Total Confirmed Shots Fired
10
67
Shots fired incidents were highest in May, September and October in 2023, with 10 incidents in each
month. February had the fewest incidents with one. November and December each had two.
10
Shots fired incidents may occupy multiple categories. Self-inflicted, accidental discharge by a LTC holder
and justifiable discharge are excluded.
New Bedford Police Department, Annual Report, 2023 | 31
Figure 13.2 Confirmed Shots-Fired incidents by Month, New Bedford, MA, 2023:
In 2023, confirmed shots fired incidents were most likely to occur between the hours of 9pm and 5am,
with approximately 61% of all incidents occurring within this eight-hour period. The two hours of the day
with the highest volume were between 10pm and midnight, with 10 incidents each. Fridays were the
busiest day, with 14 confirmed shots-fired incidents, followed by Thursdays with 12. Wednesdays had two
of the three busiest hours of the week, between 10pm and midnight (three incidents each) and Tuesdays
between 9pm and 10pm also had three incidents.
Table 13.2 Confirmed Shots Fired by Time of Day/Day of Week, New Bedford, MA, 2023
Hour of Day
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
Total
Day of Week
Sun
2
1
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
2
10
Mon
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
2
0
6
Tue
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
3
1
1
7
Wed
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
3
3
10
Thu
0
2
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
1
1
0
1
2
1
12
Fri
1
0
1
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
2
0
0
2
0
1
2
2
14
Sat
0
0
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
8
Total
5
5
4
3
4
1
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
2
1
2
3
1
2
3
2
6
10
10
67
The geographic distribution of all confirmed shots-fired are presented in Figure 13.3 on the following page.
32 | New Bedford Police Department, Annual Report, 2023
Figure 13.3: Map of Shots-Fired, New Bedford, MA, 2023
New Bedford Police Department, Annual Report, 2023 | 33
14. Calls For Service
In this report, Calls For Service (CFS) represent all non-administrative calls, from all call sources. As such,
calls that are officer initiated or initiated by a member of the public through telephone or walk-ins are
included. There were 79,173 calls for service in New Bedford in 2023, a decrease of 9,034 calls (-11%)
from 2019, when there were 88,207 calls for service.
Figure 14.1: Call For Service, New Bedford, MA, 2019-2023
Table 14.1, Figure 14.2 and Figure 14.3 cover call volumes across the week. Fridays were the busiest day
of the week, with 11,944 calls on a Friday in 2023, while Sunday was the least busy, with 10,250 calls. The
busiest hour of the day was 5-6 pm, with 5,116 calls, followed by 4-5 pm, with 5,065 calls. Calls were
lowest between 3-6 am, with the drop off and pick up earlier during the week than on the weekends. The
busiest hour of the week was Monday between 5-6 pm.
Table 14.1: Call For Service, by Day of Week and Time of Day, New Bedford, MA, 2023
Hour of the Day
00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Total
Day of the Week
Mon
281
230
179
153
139
155
303
374
507
571
668
704
697
672
703
674
806
828
677
584
538
497
380
304
11,624
Tue
211
223
202
126
131
153
260
404
526
560
611
724
725
719
683
689
770
737
694
606
507
485
380
320
11,446
Wed
268
225
183
148
137
145
287
346
525
598
623
693
705
701
687
635
798
778
700
622
530
494
422
270
11,520
Thu
245
218
181
143
136
145
302
388
516
592
671
693
698
675
677
618
795
784
674
626
539
498
383
334
11,531
Fri
339
267
251
164
136
157
281
333
508
576
619
677
673
694
640
665
717
812
700
687
571
541
519
417
11,944
Sat
367
342
359
227
154
170
194
269
403
504
569
605
613
611
603
547
567
581
582
552
532
538
492
477
10,858
Sun
421
407
378
250
196
190
249
250
366
405
511
511
547
537
568
470
612
596
539
502
508
482
434
321
10,250
Total
2,132
1,912
1,733
1,211
1,029
1,115
1,876
2,364
3,351
3,806
4,272
4,607
4,658
4,609
4,561
4,298
5,065
5,116
4,566
4,179
3,725
3,535
3,010
2,443
79,173
34 | New Bedford Police Department, Annual Report, 2023
Figure 14.2: Calls For Service By Day of the Week, New Bedford, MA, 2023
Figure 14.3: Calls For Service By Hour of the Day, New Bedford, MA, 2023
1. Call Reasons
When looking at the top ten call reasons, as shown in Table 14.1.1, Disturbance and Complaint calls
represent the two most frequent call reasons in 2023, with 9,241 and 6,587 calls respectively. Disturbance
calls decreased by 4,924 (-35%) from 2019, while complaint calls increased by 328 calls (+5%). Of the top
ten call reasons in 2023, Check Welfare calls made the largest increase from 2019, both in the total
number of calls (+1,246) and percentage (+29%). Disturbance calls decreased the most in total calls over
the same period (-4,927), but traffic stops decreased by a larger proportion (-45%).
New Bedford Police Department, Annual Report, 2023 | 35
Table 14.1.1: Top 10 Call Reasons, New Bedford, MA, 2019 and 2023.
Call Reason 2019
Call Reason 2023
Disturbance 14,165
Disturbance 9,241
Traffic Stop 9,127
Complaint 6,587
Complaint 6,259
Sick Person 5,903
Check Auto 5,793
Check Welfare 5,548
Alarm, Burglar 4,946
Traffic Stop 5,024
Motor Vehicle Accident
4,772
Check Auto 4,856
Sick Person 4,749
Motor Vehicle Accident
4,579
Check Welfare 4,302
Animal Control 3,674
Animal Control 3,359
Alarm, Burglar 3,370
Domestic Disturbance 2,389
Domestic Disturbance
2,844
36 | New Bedford Police Department, Annual Report, 2023
15. Mental Health
The New Bedford Police Department has a number of programs providing a co-response capability, with
clinicians from partner agencies embedded with officers. The co-response units are available to respond
to calls with a mental health component as well as initiate follow-up and check welfare calls.
1. Co-Response Clinician (Child & Family Services, Inc.)
The New Bedford Police Department and Child and Family Services, INC. Emergency Services Program
(ESP) co-response program made 163 direct interactions and 26 indirect interactions in 2023. 48% of
clients directly interacted with were diverted from going to the Emergency Department and ESP co-
response issued 40 Section 12’s following direct interactions.
2. Co-Response Clinician (North Star)
The New Bedford Police Department and North Star Learning Centers, INC. co-response program provided
a total of 404 diversionary services in 2023, with an average of 23 community members served each
month.
Figure 15.2.1: Co-Response Clinician (North Star) Services Provided, New Bedford, MA, 2023
New Bedford Police Department, Annual Report, 2023 | 37
16. Domestic Violence
1. Domestic Verbal Arguments
The New Bedford Police Department responded to 1,975 domestic verbal argument (DVA) incidents in
2023, a decrease of 132 incidents (-6%) from 2019 when there were 2,107 DVA incidents.
Figure 16.1.1: Domestic Verbal Arguments, New Bedford, MA, 2019-2023
When considering domestic verbal arguments by the time of day and day of the week, the highest number
of domestic verbal arguments (136) took place between 7 and 8pm, followed by 135 between 9 and 10pm.
Sunday and Saturday were the most common days for a domestic verbal arguments to be reported, with
314 and 295 calls respectively. The two busiest single hours of the week were Tuesdays between 9 and
10pm and Thursdays between 5pm and 6pm, with 25 incidents each.
Table 16.1.1: Domestic Verbal Arguments by Time of Day, Day of Week, New Bedford, MA, 2023
Hour of the Day
00
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
Total
Day of the Week
Mon
12
6
6 5 2 4 10
6 9 9 10
14
9 16
14
17
19
17
18
23
18
16
10
15
285
Tue
5 10
3 3 4 6 6 7 9 14
7 10
11
13
10
15
20
16
16
23
19
25
11
10
273
Wed
14
7
9 5 5 4 4 13
11
13
7 6 9 14
14
16
19
20
16
19
18
23
17
9 292
Thu
13
3
8 6 3 2 4 9 5 6 8 8 10
9 8 13
19
25
17
20
19
12
15
11
253
Fri
12
8
7 4 5 8 4 6 7 7 7 10
6 7 12
6 18
12
22
22
18
22
18
15
263
Sat
13
12
12
9 3 7 3 2 10
15
15
11
23
16
14
11
10
18
9 12
14
19
22
15
295
Sun
21
15
14
16
8 4 6 5 6 6 12
15
12
11
14
11
18
15
20
17
17
18
19
14
314
Total
90
61
59
48
30
35
37
48
57
70
66
74
80
86
86
89
123
123
118
136
123
135
112
89
1,975
38 | New Bedford Police Department, Annual Report, 2023
2. Domestic Assaults
Domestic assaults comprised a significant proportion of assaults reported to the New Bedford Police
Department in 2023, with 923 of the 1,735 (53%) assault incidents determined to be domestic involved.
When comparing simple and aggravated domestic assaults
11
, a majority of simple assault incidents were
domestic involved, while domestic involved incidents accounted for a minority of the aggravated assaults.
Specifically, 56% of simple assault incidents were domestic involved, while 39% of aggravated assault were
domestic involved.
Figure 16.2.1: Assaults by Domestic and Aggravated Status, New Bedford, MA, 2023
As shown in Table 16.2.1, the domestic assault incidents most frequently took on the weekend. 162
domestic assault incidents occurred on Sundays and 151 on Saturdays, and the fewest took place on
weekdays, with 114 on Mondays and Wednesdays.
Table 16.2.1: Domestic Assault by Time of Day, Day of Week, New Bedford, MA, 2023.
Hour of the Day
00
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
Total
Day Of Week
Mon
5
1
3
5
2
2
3
2
3
2
4
5
4
9
3
12
9
4
9
7
5
4
5
6
114
Tue
3
2
2
3
2
0
0
1
7
4
5
6
8
7
3
4
5
10
7
6
10
9
7
6
117
Wed
9
5
2
3
0
1
2
2
2
3
6
5
5
3
6
1
6
7
14
3
9
8
8
7
117
Thu
9
8
2
0
2
0
2
0
1
4
3
1
0
6
6
6
6
9
11
5
11
8
9
5
114
Fri
6
5
3
6
3
1
3
1
2
1
5
5
5
4
6
6
11
13
10
15
13
10
6
8
148
Sat
12
6
5
7
5
4
3
2
3
4
8
3
4
7
5
2
9
7
10
7
7
9
11
11
151
Sun
9
8
15
10
5
2
1
2
2
4
3
2
5
4
13
6
9
11
8
8
13
14
4
4
162
Total
53
35
32
34
19
10
14
10
20
22
34
27
31
40
42
37
55
61
69
51
68
62
50
47
923
Evenings between 6 and 7pm were the busiest hour of the day for domestic assaults, with 69 incidents,
while Fridays between 7pm and 8pm and Sunday between 2am and 3am were the single busiest hour
across the week with 15 incidents each. In general, the pattern across the day and week resembled
domestic verbal arguments and overall assaults.
11
Per NIBRS 13A and 13B definitions.
New Bedford Police Department, Annual Report, 2023 | 39
The victims of domestic assault were predominantly female, with 61% of victims female. This contrasts
with non-domestic assaults, where the majority (61%) of victims were male.
Figure 16.2.2: Sex of Victim, Domestic and Non-Domestic Assault, New Bedford, MA, 2023
Domestic
No
t
Domestic
Male
39% 61%
Female
61% 39%
Total
100% 100%
When examined alongside the victims of domestic violence and simple vs. aggravated assaults, a pattern
emerges. Specifically, females are more likely to be the victim of domestic assault and these incidents are
more likely to be simple, rather than aggravated, assaults. On the other hand, males are more likely to be
the victim of non-domestic assaults and a higher percentage of these are aggravated assaults.
40 | New Bedford Police Department, Annual Report, 2023
17. Overdoses
Fatal overdoses
12
recorded by the New Bedford Police Department decreased by five from 50 in 2019 to
45 in 2023, a decrease of 10%.
Figure 17.1: Fatal Overdoses, New Bedford, MA, 2019-2023
There were 394 non-fatal overdoses recorded by the New Bedford Police Department in 2023. This was a
decrease of 28% from the 551 recorded in 2019.
Figure 17.2: Non-Fatal Overdoses, New Bedford, MA, 2019-2023
12
Overdose incidents are recorded based on the information available to officers at the scene of the incident and
offer some of the most immediate source of data available to the community. As such, these numbers will differ
from those gathered through other sources such as toxicology or death records.
New Bedford Police Department, Annual Report, 2023 | 41
1. Demographics
Victims of overdoses were predominately male, with 31 (69%) of the 45 fatal overdose victims male, and
262 (66%) of the 395 non-fatal overdose victims
13
male. Females represented 31% of fatal overdoses and
34% of non-fatal overdose victims.
Table 17.2: Fatal and Non-Fatal Overdose Victims by Sex, New Bedford, MA, 2023
Fatal
Non-Fatal
Male
68.9%
Male
66.3%
Female
31.1%
Female
33.7%
Total
100%
Total
100%
A majority, 69%, of fatal overdose victims in 2023 were White not Hispanic, with a further 9% White
Hispanic. The proportion of overdose victims in 2023 who were Black not Hispanic was 20%. Two percent
of victims race were unknown.
Table 17.3: Fatal Overdose Victims by Race and Ethnicity, New Bedford, MA, 2023
Race
Ethnicity
Not
Hispanic
Hispanic Total
White
69% 9% 78%
Black
20% 0% 20%
Unknown
0% 2% 2%
Total
89% 11% 100%
The proportion of non-fatal overdose victims were White not Hispanic was 58%, with a further 12% White
Hispanic. The proportion of non-fatal overdose victims who were Black not Hispanic was 18%, with a
further 8% Black Hispanic. Two percent of victims race were unknown.
Table 17.4: Non-Fatal Overdose Victims by Race and Ethnicity, New Bedford, MA, 2023
Race
Ethnicity
Not
Hispanic
Hispanic Unknown
Total
White
58% 12% 2% 71%
Black
18% 8% <1% 27%
Unknown
0% <1% 1% 2%
Total
76% 21% 3% 100%
13
16% of overdose victims had multiple overdose incidents.
42 | New Bedford Police Department, Annual Report, 2023
18. Traffic
1. Traffic Stops
The New Bedford Police Department logged 5,024 traffic stops in 2023, a 43% decrease of 3,923 stops
from the 9,127 stops made in 2019.
Table 18.1.1: Traffic Stops, New Bedford, MA, 2019-2023
The details of a total of 1,447 operators were stored in the call data of traffic stops in 2023
14
. Citations
were issued for half of all calls where operator details were not recorded and a further third of such calls
were cleared ‘warned’. Of the 1,447 operators whose details are stored in call data, a total of 57% had an
unknown race and 60% had an unknown ethnicity. 32% of operators whose details were stored were
white, with 21% white not Hispanic and 8% white Hispanic. 11% of entered operators were black, with
8% black not Hispanic and 2% black Hispanic.
Table 18.1.1: Race and Ethnicity of Vehicle Operators in Traffic Stops, New Bedford, MA, 2023
Race
Ethnicity
Not
Hispanic
Hispanic Unknown
Total
Asian
<1% <1% <1% <1%
Black
8% 2% 1% 11%
American
Indian/Alaskan Native
<1% <1% <1% <1%
Hawaiian or Other
Pacific Islander
<1% <1% <1% <1%
White
21% 8% 3% 32%
Unknown
<1% <1% 56% 57%
Total
29%
10%
60%
100%
14
The operator’s details may have been stored elsewhere, such as if a citation was subsequently issued.
New Bedford Police Department, Annual Report, 2023 | 43
2. Citations
In total, 3,849
15
citations were issued by the New Bedford Police Department in 2023. This represents a
49% decrease from 2019, when 7,506 citations were issued. Of the 3,849 citations issued in 2023, 259 of
the issued citations were arrest, 377 were civil, 948 were criminal, 11 were municipal, 2,249 were written
warnings and five were verbal warnings.
Figure 18.2.1: Citations by Type, New Bedford, MA, 2019-2023.
Table 18.2.1: Citations by Type, New Bedford, MA, 2023.
Citation Action Count
Arrest
259
Civil
377
Criminal
948
Municipal
11
Written Warning
2,249
Verbal Warning
5
Total
3,849
Of the 3,849 citations issued in 2023, 3,730 were issued to vehicle operators, with the remaining 119
issued to the vehicle owner (114) or an involved party (5). Vehicle operators were New Bedford residents
in 69% of issued citations (2,565 of the 3,730 operators), with 1,165 cited operators having addresses
outside the city. Non-residents cited by the New Bedford Police Department were most likely to be
residents of towns and cities surrounding New Bedford, with residents of Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Fall River,
and Acushnet accounting for over half the non-residents cited (623 of the 1,165 non-residents).
15
91 citations were voided
44 | New Bedford Police Department, Annual Report, 2023
Table 18.2.2: Residency of Cited Operators, New Bedford, MA, 2023.
Residency
Count
New Bedford
Resident
2,
575
Non
-
New Bedford
Resident
1,165
Total
3,730
White operators accounted for 70% of all operators cited in New Bedford in 2023, with 38% White not
Hispanic and 17% White Hispanic. Black operators represented 19% of all operators cited, with 11% Black
not Hispanic and 4% Black Hispanic. The ethnicity of 27% of all operators cited by the New Bedford Police
Department is recorded as unknown and the operator’s race is recorded as unknown in 10.9% of all
citations issued to operators.
Table 18.2.3 Race and Ethnicity of Cited Operators, New Bedford, MA, 2023.
Race
Ethnicity
Not
Hispanic
Hispanic Unknown
Total
Asian
<1% <1% <1% <1%
Black
10.8% 4.4% 3.6% 18.7%
American
Indian/Alaskan Native
<1% <1% <1% <1%
Hawaiian or Other
Pacific Islander
<1% <1% <1% <1%
White
37.7% 16.7% 15.5% 69.9%
Unknown
<1% 3.2% 7.4% 10.9%
Total
49.1%
24.3%
26.6%
100.0%
Male operators represented 63% of all operators cited. Females represented 37% of operators, with less
than one percent of operator’s sex unknown.
Table 18.2.4: Sex of Cited Operators, New Bedford, MA, 2023.
Sex Count
Female
37%
Male
63%
X
<1%
Blank
<1%
Total
100%
New Bedford Police Department, Annual Report, 2023 | 45
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New Bedford Police Department
871 Rockdale Avenue
New Bedford, MA 02740
Phone: 508-991-6300
Fax: 508-961-3022
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