(C) Minnesota Reformer
This story was originally published by Minnesota Reformer and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .
Violent crime down across the board in the Twin Cities [1]
['Christopher Ingraham', 'More From Author', '- July']
Date: 2023-07
Violent crime in the seven-county Twin Cities metro area is down 11% in the first half of 2023, according to data presented this week by Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension superintendent Drew Evans.
Aggravated assault is down 6% in the region, rape is down 17%, and robbery and homicide are both down by more than 20% through the end of June.
The numbers mirror trends seen in other major cities this year, as violent crime rates ebb following a pandemic-era spike that nearly hit record highs in some places, including Minneapolis.
“The decline [in murder] in big cities would portend to a 7-10% decline nationally in 2023 if that figure holds up given how big cities tend to overstate the national trend,” crime data analyst Jeff Asher wrote recently. “It would also be among the largest declines in murder ever formally recorded.”
The drivers of the ongoing decrease in violent crime aren’t yet known. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has previously stated that local initiatives, like MPD’s Operation Endeavor, deserve some of the credit. But because so many different cities across the country are experiencing similar drops in violent crime, it’s likely that broader national trends – including a return to normalcy following the disruption of the Covid-19 pandemic – are playing a larger role.
One category of crime that’s bucking the decreasing trend in Minneapolis and elsewhere is car theft. MPD data show that motor vehicle thefts are up by about 66% year-over-year, and several other major cities are experiencing car theft increases of 100% or more, according to data compiled by the Council on Criminal Justice, a nonpartisan think tank focusing on criminal justice issues.
Across the river in St. Paul, on the other hand, the story is very different: car thefts have decreased dramatically since last year, showing the largest drop among the cities analyzed by the Council on Criminal Justice. Part of the difference between the two cities might come down to manpower: The Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office has a team of eight officers dedicated to car theft, while Minneapolis has just one, according to the Star Tribune
In Minnesota and elsewhere, authorities point to design flaws in Kias and Hyundais as one of the chief drivers of motor vehicle theft. Those manufacturers account for 63% of stolen cars in Minneapolis and 40% in St. Paul.
On the other hand carjackings, a more violent subset of car thefts, are down by nearly 50% in Minneapolis this year.
Overall the decline in violence, coupled with an increase in car theft, “could reflect a return to normal living conditions and daily routines,” the Council on Criminal Justice noted in its most recent data update.
[END]
---
[1] Url:
https://minnesotareformer.com/briefs/violent-crime-down-across-the-board-in-the-twin-cities/
Published and (C) by Minnesota Reformer
Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons License CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/MnReformer/
