Mar 8, 2022 - News
What crime data shows about the state of safety in downtown Minneapolis
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Crime data paints a mixed picture of the state of safety downtown Minneapolis.
The big picture: Violent crime was up in 2021, compared to both 2020 and the average incidents for the five years pre-pandemic, according to MPD's crime data dashboard.
- But downtown saw a smaller increase from pre-pandemic (7%) than the city of Minneapolis as a whole (32%).
- Property crimes, meanwhile, remained below pre-pandemic levels.
Why it matters: As Axios reported Monday, leaders see public safety concerns as a hurdle to the area's economic rebound.
Driving the increases: Last year's homicides downtown (13) are roughly double the 2015-2019 average, while the number of aggravated assaults soared to 454, from a pre-pandemic average of 351.
- Keeping with citywide trends, car thefts (440) increased significantly downtown. Thefts from cars also went up.
Yes, but: Burglaries and larcenies, which can include pickpocketing, were down from previous years.
- And crime levels downtown actually trailed the tallies for most other precincts in this city in 2021.