ST PAUL, Minn. — A new statewide crime report from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) suggests while crime remains a major concern for the public, crime numbers are actually decreasing in many categories.
The 2023 Uniform Crime Report is compiled from data submitted by local law enforcement agencies across the state. Among the crime trends noted by the BCA from last year's data:
- Overall, Minnesota saw a 6.9 percent decrease in violent crime in 2023. Violent crime in the seven-county Twin Cities Metro Area (Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott and Washington counties) dropped by 8.2 percent, while violent crime in greater Minnesota decreased by 3.4 percent.
- Murders were down by one, from 182 in 2022 to 181 in 2023. Firearms were involved in 69.6 percent of those murders, down from 73.1 percent in 2022.
- There were 9,986 aggravated assaults in 2023, 3.4 percent lower than in 2022.
- Rapes were down 11.85% to 2,053 in 2023. Most of the rapes occurred in a home (72.6 percent) with 40.5 percent of the victims being minors.
- Motor vehicle theft decreased 6.8 percent, from 16,743 in 2022 to 15,612 vehicles stolen in 2023. Carjacking incidents decreased more dramatically (37.8) percent with 372 incidents in 2023, compared with 598 in 2022. (*A note: Carjacking incidents are not counted as motor vehicle thefts).
- Law enforcement use-of-force incidents involving discharge of a firearm dropped in 2023 to 16, two fewer than in 2022.
A few categories in 2023 showed increases.
- Peace officers were assaulted in 961 incidents in 2023, a 0.9 percent increase from 2022.
- Bias crimes rose in 2023 with 180 incidents reported. Agencies reported 168 bias crimes in 2022.
Officer use-of-force incidents remained at 21, the same as in 2022. Of the people involved, seven died and nine suffered serious injury during the use-of-force encounter with an officer.
Of the 21 people on whom force was used:
- 12 were white
- 7 were Black
- 2 were Native/American India
- 1 was Asian
For more on the 2023 BCA Uniform Crime Report, check out the agency's website.