The newest data from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension shows that violent crime numbers in Minnesota fell for the second straight year.
According to the 2023 BCA Uniform Crime Report, which was released on Friday, there has been a general decrease in a wide range of criminal acts. Homicides, auto thefts and aggravated assaults all declined in 2023.
“I think anytime we see a decrease in crime, it’s a good thing,” said James Stuart, executive director of the Minnesota Sheriffs Association. “Hopefully we’ll see these trends of downward crime continue.”
Stuart mentioned that not all numbers declined in 2023. He noted a 0.9% increase of assaults on police officers compared to the 2022 numbers.
Deep Diving The Violent Crime Statistics
Let’s take a closer look at the numbers in the BCA report to get a better sense of how crime declined in 2023. Here are some notable numbers from the crime report:
- Violent crime in the seven-county Twin Cities Metro Area decreased by 8.2%.
- Violent crime in greater Minnesota decreased 3.4%.
- There were 9,986 aggravated assaults in 2023, a 3.4% decrease from 2022.
- There were 2,053 reported rapes in Minnesota last year, an 11.85% decrease from the previous year.
- There were 15,612 vehicles stolen in 2023, down from 16,743 in 2022, a decrease of 6.8%.
- The 72,701 reports of larceny represents the lowest number in 55 years.
- Law enforcement use-of-force incidents involving a firearm dropped from 18 in 2022 to 16 last year.
- Reported homicides were down 16.2% in St. Paul last year and down 9.1% in Minneapolis.
- Reported car jackings were down 18.9% in St. Paul last year and down 42.3% in Minneapolis.
Overall, most of the violent crime numbers are encouraging, and while there is still work to be done, it does appear that things are heading in the right direction. We’re here to help in the event that you run into trouble with the law, but we hope that you and your loved ones remain law abiding citizens. If you do need legal advice, consider taking a free case review with Avery Appelman and the team at Appelman Law Firm. For more information, or for help with a different legal issue, give our team a call today at (952) 224-2277.
