Violent crime across Minnesota and the US decreased to roughly the same level as before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to data from the FBI’s annual report on crime.
The national data suggests:
- Violent crimes dropped 1.7 percent.
- Murder and non-negligent manslaughter dropped 6.1 percent
- Rapes dropped 5.4 percent
- Aggravated assault dropped 1.1 percent
- Robberies increased 1.3 percent.
According to the FBI, the overall violent crime rate was 380.7 per 100,000 people. That number is ever so slightly better than the 380.8 per 100,000 that we registered before the pandemic in 2019.
Minnesota Also Boasts Encouraging Numbers
Minnesota is also experiencing a downward trend in crime this year. Through the end of September, incidents of crimes against other people were down five percent compared to the first nine months in 2022. Over that same stretch, property crimes have dropped 17 percent, with St. Paul experiencing a 27 percent drop in property crimes.
Many legal extras believe that violent crime surged during the pandemic as a result of extra stress on the American public, but as fears over the pandemic have waned, so too have violent crime rates. That said, not all of the crime numbers are headed in the right direction. In Minnesota, motor vehicle thefts and car jackings were up, which was also true on a national scale. On a national level, the FBI stated that someone was injured in more than a quarter of all carjackings.
The data reflects what we’ve seen in our practice in recent years. Violent crimes are becoming a little less common, but thefts and car jackings are on the rise. Law enforcement recently announced that they will prioritize curbing vehicular thefts in the coming months, so hopefully those numbers start to decline as well. Oftentimes car thefts are crimes of opportunity, and while the summer months provide plenty of opportunity, so do the cold winter months where people may leave their car unattended and running to warm it up a bit before driving off. Don’t leave your running car unattended, even if it’s in your driveway, and be sure to consult with Avery and the team at Appelman Law Firm if you need assistance with a criminal matter in Minnesota! Give our team a call today at (952) 224-2277.
