Minnesota Crime Report Shows Increase in Crimes in 2021

ST. PAUL — There was an increase in violent crime in Minnesota in 2021.

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) has released the 2021 Uniform Crime Report, a summary of crime data submitted by local law enforcement agencies to meet state and federal reporting requirements.

Notable data from the 2021 Minnesota Uniform Crime Report:

Minnesota saw a 21.6 percent increase in violent crime in 2021. Violent crime in greater Minnesota rose by 16 percent. Violent crime in the seven-county metro area (Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott and Washington counties) rose by 23.9 percent.

There were 201 murders in 2021 in Minnesota compared with 185 in 2020, an increase of 8.65 percent. Firearms made up 73 percent of the weapons used in 2021 murders, down from 75 percent in 2020.

There were 10,967 aggravated assaults in 2021, which is 33.7 percent higher than 2020.

The number of rapes increased in 2021. Almost half of the victims were minors (46 percent) and 71 percent of rapes occurred in a home.

Motor vehicle theft rose 8.5 percent in 2021 with 14,829 vehicles stolen as compared to 13,662 in 2020. The 2021 total is the highest since 2001. In addition, there were 779 carjacking incidents in 2021, the first year this data was collected. Carjacking incidents are not counted as motor vehicle thefts.

Bias crimes rose in 2021 with 238 incidents reported. Of these, 40.3 percent were motivated by anti-Black or African American bias, 10.5 percent were anti-gay, 8.8 percent anti-white, and 8.4 percent were anti-Jewish.

Officer-involved shooting incidents dropped in 2021 to 24, five fewer than in 2020.

Peace officers were assaulted in 900 incidents in 2021, a 35 percent increase over 2020.

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Minnesota agencies reported 30 use-of-force incidents in 2021, down from 45 in 2020.

13 persons died
11 incidents resulted in a serious injury requiring medical attention
7 non-injury incidents

Agencies reported the following race information about people on whom force was used.

White (17)
Black (8)
Unknown/not reported (2)
American Indian/Alaskan Native (2)
Pending (1)

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Source: Minnesota Crime Report Shows Increase in Crimes in 2021