Crime rates continue to fall in Minnesota, says BCA report – Twin Cities

According to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension's latest Uniform Crime Report, murders and other violent crimes in Minnesota fell last year for the second year in a row.

The 2023 report, released Friday, shows an overall decline in crimes ranging from murder to car theft compared to 2022.

“I think it's always a good thing when crime goes down,” said James Stuart, executive director of the Minnesota Sheriffs Association.

During the early years of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, Minnesota saw record homicides, peaking at 201 in 2021. In 2023, the number dropped to 181.

However, not all numbers are declining. Stuart said that one of the things he and his team are working on is tackling the rise in assaults on police officers. He said this year's 0.9% increase over 2022 may be due to a lack of “civic responsibility” as perpetrators are not being held properly accountable for their actions.

“Hopefully this trend of declining crime will continue,” Stuart said.

Violent crime in the seven-county Twin Cities metropolitan area fell by 8.2 percent. In the greater Minnesota area, violent crime fell by 3.4 percent.

Key national data from the BCA report includes:

• In 2023, there were 9,986 serious bodily injuries, 3.4 percent fewer than in 2022.
• In 2023, there were 2,053 rapes, a decrease of 11.85 percent.
• Motor vehicle theft decreased by 6.8 percent in 2023: 15,612 vehicles were stolen, compared to 16,743 in 2022.
• In 2023, police officers were attacked in 961 attacks, an increase of 0.9 percent over 2022.
• In 2023, there were 72,701 cases of theft – the lowest number in 55 years.
• In 2023, hate crimes increased with 180 reported incidents, compared to 168 in 2022. Both numbers are lower than the peaks reported in 2021 (238) and 2020 (223).
• The number of incidents involving the use of police force and the discharge of a firearm fell to 16 in 2023, two fewer than in 2022.

St. Paul and Minneapolis

In 2023, the St. Paul Police Department handled a total of 26 reported homicide cases, according to the BCA, compared to the Minneapolis Police Department, which reported 70.

In St. Paul, the number of reported murders decreased by 16.2 percent compared to 2022, and in Minneapolis by 9.1 percent.

In St. Paul, the number of reported car thefts decreased by 18.9 percent compared to 2022, while in Minneapolis there was a 42.3 percent decrease.

The full 2023 Uniform Crime Report, along with reports from previous years, can be found at dps.mn.gov/divisions/bca.