By Luke Sprinkel
The murder rate in Minnesota has increased 50% since 2019, according to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA).
Yesterday, the BCA released the 2023 Uniform Crime Report for the State of Minnesota. The report tracks a variety of annual crime statistics including murder, rape, aggravated assault, motor vehicle theft, and many others.
According to the report, there were 181 reported murders in Minnesota in 2023; this includes both murder and non-negligent homicide. That amounts to 3 criminal homicides per 100,000 people. In 2019, there were 117 reported murders, and the rate per 100,000 was 2. In 2018, the rate was 1.9, according to previous BCA reports.
In addition to the 50% increase in the murder rate, aggravated assault and motor vehicle theft have also increased dramatically since 2019.
In 2019, 6,742 aggravated assaults were reported in Minnesota. The BCA’s Uniform Crime Report from that year indicates that the crime rate for aggravated assault was 119.5 per 100,000 people. In 2023, 9,986 aggravated assaults were reported in Minnesota, with the rate increasing to 174 per 100,000 people.
This represents a 45% increase in aggravated assault from 2019 to 2023.
(Minnesota BCA)
Additionally, there were 11,410 instances of reported motor vehicle theft in 2019. The BCA’s Uniform Crime Report from 2019 says the crime rate for motor vehicle theft was 202.3 per 100,000 people. In 2023, there were 15,612 instances of reported motor vehicle theft in Minnesota. The crime rate was 272 per 100,000 people.
As such, there was a 34% increase in motor vehicle theft from 2019 to 2023.
Meanwhile, instances of reported burglary decreased by roughly 35%, reported larceny decreased by roughly 21%, reported rape decreased by 17%, and reported robbery decreased by 11% during the same five-year period.
Instances of reported arson increased by roughly 33% between from 2019 to 2023.
In a press release, the BCA noted that violent crime decreased from 2022 to 2023 by 6.9%, including an 8.2% decrease in the metro area and a 3.4% decrease in Greater Minnesota.
According to the 2023 Uniform Crime Report from the BCA, over half of the homicides that occurred in 2023 took place in either Minneapolis or St. Paul.
Since 2019, the number of police officers on staff with the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) has dropped significantly. For context, almost 900 officers were on the MPD in 2019. In June of 2024, Alpha News’ Liz Collin reported that the MPD currently has fewer than 500 officers on staff.
The Minneapolis City Charter requires the city to have a minimum of 731 police officers.
This article originally appeared at Alpha News and was reprinted with permission.
