The number of murders in Minnnesota went up from 100 in 2016 to 119 in 2017, according to latest statistics from the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Violent crimes overall increased half-a-percent but one category — rape — has seen steady increases since 2013. Motor vehicle thefts hit a ten-year high in 2017, up 15 percent over the year before. Arson was also up over seven percent. The complete report is on the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension website.
From BCA news release:
Violent crimes (murder, rape, robbery, human trafficking and aggravated assault) increased 0.5 percent in 2017. Murders increased from 100 in 2016 to 119 in 2017. Rapes and aggravated assaults were both up slightly in 2017. Robberies were down slightly in 2017.
| | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 |
| Murder | 119 | 100 | 130 | 82 | 111 |
| Rape | 2,429 | 2,321 | 2,300 | 1,980 | 1,971 |
| Robbery | 3,645 | 3,725 | 3,764 | 3,645 | 3,661 |
| Aggravated Assault | 7,110 | 7,026 | 6,981 | 6,607 | 6,726 |
| Human Trafficking – Commercial Sex Acts* | 173 | 325 | 119 | 35 | * |
| Human Trafficking – Involuntary Servitude^ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | * |
Property Crimes
Property crimes saw increasing numbers in 2017, up 4.4 percent compared to 2016. Motor vehicle theft hit a ten-year high and was up 15.2 percent over 2016. Arson numbers also rose, up 7.4 percent in 2017.
| | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 |
| Burglary | 18,749 | 18,464 | 19,195 | 20,492 | 22,500 |
| Larceny | 93,455 | 89,924 | 94,392 | 95,326 | 99,794 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 9,960 | 8,649 | 7,921 | 8,201 | 7,873 |
| Arson | 534 | 497 | 580 | 613 | 694 |
Additional crime data reported to the BCA
| | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 214 | 2013 |
| Homicide cleared by arrest | 74% | 74% | 78% | 80% | 68% |
| Drug abuse violation cleared by arrest | 85% | 85% | 83% | 84% | 83% |
| Drug abuse violation arrest for Opiates, Heroin, Cocaine, etc. | 2,315 | 1,700 | 1,800 | 1,627 | 1,699 |
| Bias motivated incidents | 147 | 122 | 96 | 98 | 154 |
There was one law enforcement fatality in 2017.
The complete 2017 report can be viewed on the BCA Website. Additional years’ reports can be found on the same page.