The Minnesota Department of Public Safety Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) has released its annual Uniform Crime Report for 2024, which is a summary of crime data submitted by local law enforcement agencies.
The report summarizes that most violent crime reports have trended downward after experiencing significant increases in 2020 and subsequent years, following the George Floyd riots. Yet, violent crime levels in 2024 remained mostly steady compared to the prior year, with levels increasing in some categories like carjacking, rape, and robbery.
The report indicates that property crime reports also trended downward in 2024 from peaks in 2020 through 2022.
The BCA highlighted the following data from the 2024 Minnesota Uniform Crime Report:
- Violent crime levels remained steady in 2024. In the seven-county Twin Cities Metro Area (Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott and Washington counties), violent crime increased by 1 percent. Violent crime in greater Minnesota decreased by 3 percent.
- There were 170 murders in 2024 in Minnesota compared with 181 in 2023. Firearms were involved in 74.7 percent of the incidents, up from 69.6 percent in 2023.
- There were 9,826 aggravated assaults in 2024, which is 1.6 percent lower than 2023.
- There were 2,159 rapes in 2024, an increase of 5.2 percent. Most of the rapes occurred in a home (73.2 percent) and 39.6 percent of the victims were minors.
- Motor vehicle theft decreased 19.3 percent in 2024 with 12,596 vehicles stolen as compared to 15,612 in 2023.
- Carjacking incidents (including attempted carjackings) increased 5.5 percent with 426 incidents in 2024, compared with 401* in 2023. Carjacking incidents are not counted as motor vehicle thefts.
- There were 70,898 incidents of larceny in 2024 — the lowest number in 56 years.
- Bias crimes rose in 2024 with 225 incidents reported.
- Law enforcement use-of-force incidents involving discharge of a firearm rose in 2024 to 27, 10 more than in 2023.
- Peace officers were assaulted in 976 incidents in 2024, a 1.5 percent increase from 2023.
Additionally, 32 law enforcement agencies reported use-of-force incidents in 2024, an increase of 11 over 2023. Within those incidents, 12 people died, and 15 incidents resulted in serious injury. Eighteen of the parties on which force was used were white, 13 were black, and one was Asian.
Of the 225 claimed bias crimes, the largest categories comprised “anti-black” with 84 incidents, “anti-gay” with 36, and “anti-Jewish” with 28. The largest methods of bias noted in the report included property damage, intimidation, bodily harm, verbal abuse, and graffiti.
The full report can be viewed here.
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Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
Crime Watch MN
Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
