New Releases

July 23, 2009 (MINNEAPOLIS) – Minneapolis city leaders today reported that crime in Minnesota’s largest city continues to fall for the third straight year and is falling to the lowest level it’s been in many years. Minneapolis violent crime rates half-way through 2009 are at the lowest level in eight years and the city’s homicide rate is the lowest in 25 years. Proactive policing, targeting the most violent criminals and reducing youth violence are being credited with this decline in crime.

• Through June 2009, citywide violent crime is nearly 17 percent lower than this point in 2008, nearly 28 percent lower than in 2007, and nearly 39% lower than in 2006. Violent crime in Minneapolis is more than 20 percent lower than it was ten years ago.

• There have been 6 murders recorded January through June 2009, a 66 percent drop from 18 homicides at this point in 2008, a 76 percent drop from 26 homicides in 2007, and an 81 percent drop from 32 homicides in 2006. The last time that the homicide rate was this low was 1984, and 2009 ties with 1976 as the next fewest homicides recorded in four decades.

• Other types of violent crime—robbery and aggravated assaults—have seen double-digit percentage reductions every year for five straight years in a row.

• For the first time since 2001, none of the homicides in Minneapolis were of a juvenile. The number of juveniles arrested for violent crime is 15 percent lower than it was five years ago and nearly 44 percent lower than ten years ago.

• Crime rates have fallen most dramatically in the 4^th precinct of north Minneapolis, where violent crime is down nearly 42 percent in 2009 compared to this point just three years ago.

• Along with violent crimes, part 2 “livability” crimes have consistently fallen over the past decade. Part 2 crimes last year were 22% lower than in 2001 and 13% lower than in 2006.

“The fact that crime continues to fall for the third year in a row and is now at record-low levels is no accident and it wasn’t easy,” Mayor Rybak said. “We got to this place because we made safety our top budget priority, we gave police the tools they needed to be more effective, and we paired tough law enforcement with aggressive crime prevention. Working together, we made much Minneapolis safer – all in the middle of the worst economy since the Great Depression.”

“This dramatic decrease in crime in Minneapolis has changed the atmosphere in our neighborhoods – you can see it and feel it,” said Council President Barbara Johnson. “The progress we are making to lower crime not only is making people feel safer, but it also means that our police officers have more time to have to spend being visible in the community because they are spending less time at crime scenes.”

Chief Dolan credited these substantial crime reduction results with the MPD’s local precinct and unit commanders, along with work of investigators and officers on the street. “Ultimately, it’s the tireless work of the officers on the street that makes such a difference,” Chief Dolan said. “Our officers are much more productive and work much more proactively. In the past, we used crime data to react to what happened last week, now we use crime data to anticipate and prepare for what we think will happen next week.”

# # #

City of Minneapolis

New Releases

RSS Available for Mayor's News

Minneapolis crime at lowest level in years

Mayor Rybak, Chief Dolan say proactive policing and reducing youth violence are working