"The numbers show us some things that we need to look at," he said.

Like Taylor, Atlantic County Prosecutor Ted Housel said the numbers can be misleading.

For instance, he said that while the report shows drug arrests increased by 57 percent in Atlantic County in 2007, the number of arrests was normal for the county.

Housel attributed part of the hike to a drop in the number of drug arrests in 2006 caused by the intensive investigation into the death of four prostitutes in Egg Harbor Township that year. That investigation diverted significant law-enforcement efforts from other activities, such as enforcing drug laws, he said.

"But the state doesn't tell you that," he said.

Cumberland County Prosecutor Ronald Casella said Cumberland County houses a number of state prisons. He said it is yet to be determined whether the county's crime rate is affected by inmates who are released from those prisons, stay in the county and commit crimes, he said.

Overall, New Jersey's crime rate dropped 4 percent in 2007, the sixth consecutive year the state had a decreasing crime rate.

The number of murders also dropped by 11 percent last year, reversing a two-year upward climb. Murders climbed by seven percent in 2005, compared with 2004, and increased another two percent in 2006.

"The drop in the overall crime index and the decrease in the incidents of violent and nonviolent crime are encouraging, but we cannot be satisfied until all residents of New Jersey feel safe in their neighborhoods," state Attorney General Anne Milgram said. "Innovative law-enforcement strategies, tougher penalties for illegal gun possession and new prevention and prisoner re-entry programs ... will make an even greater difference in combating violent crime and the street gangs that traffic in guns and drugs.''

The annual Uniform Crime Report is prepared by the State Police Uniform Crime Reporting Unit based on information provided by municipal, county and state law-enforcement agencies. Some of the so-called crime index offenses include murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny-theft and motor vehicle theft.

Statistics in the 2007 report show that:

A crime occurred in the state every 2 minutes and 23 seconds.

Guns were used in 68 percent of the state's 381 reported murders.

Drug- and gang-related circumstances accounted for 14 percent of the total murders, an increase of 3 percent from 2006.

Twenty-seven percent of offenders were either friends or acquaintances, and nine percent were family members.

Twenty-three percent of all murder victims were between the ages of 20 and 24, and 14 percent of the victims were between the ages of 15 and 19.

Sixty-five percent of murder victims were black, while 34 percent were white.

E-mail Thomas Barlas:

TBarlas@pressofac.com