BCA report shows 21% jump in violent crime in 2021

A new state crime report shows that violent crime spiked significantly last year, both in the Twin Cities metro area and in Greater Minnesota.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension’s latest report shows that violent crimes jumped by 21.6% statewide. The increase was even more significant in the seven-county metro area, where violent crimes last year were up 23.9%, compared to the 16% increase in Greater Minnesota.

The increases in violent crime were across the board, with reports of murders up 8% from 2020, aggravated assaults up 33%, rapes up 11% and robberies up 2%. Additionally, vehicle thefts — a property crime — also increased 8%, reaching the highest total since 2001, while arson reports inched up by less than 1%. Carjacking reports, which are separate from vehicle thefts, were tracked for the first time last year by the BCA, which counted 779 reports in 2021.

Also up 35% was the number of times police officers reported being assaulted last year, none of which were fatal.

There were decreases in a few areas, including a 14% drop in burglaries and a marginal drop in larcenies. Additionally, 24 officer-involved shootings were reported last year, five fewer than in 2020, and use-of-force incidents dropped by 33% to 30 instances last year. Of those, the BCA says 13 were fatal and 11 resulted in serious injuries, while seven didn’t result in any injuries.

“The Department of Public Safety has stepped up investigations and proactive patrols in partnership with our federal, state and local officers,” Minnesota Commissioner of Public Safety John Harrington said in a statement. “By following the data, we hope these efforts will reduce victimization, improve focused and effective rapid responses, and hold offenders accountable.”

This year, state officials, including the BCA and Minnesota State Patrol, are working more closely with local police departments to crack down on violent crimes, particularly in the metro. Last week, Gov. Tim Walz said that effort will continue “as long as necessary” but also noted that it’s not sustainable in the long term and local authorities will have to take greater control at some point.

To read the BCA’s full 2021 crime report, click here or look below.