[...] one expert described the region’s recent experience as an “almost mirror image” of most American towns. The FBI describes violent crime as murder and non-negligent homicides, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults. Bethel Police Chief Jeffrey Finch said the FBI’s annual crime reports are good “guidelines” but must be used with caution, because not every police department reports data to the FBI and that the federal agency doesn’t always audit the numbers. The FBI report does not include individual crime rates from towns like New Fairfield and Southbury, which take part in the resident state troopers program. In a news conference on Monday, Gov.