What crime data shows about the state of safety in downtown Minneapolis

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.