Minnesota Crime Data Explorer gives detailed information on criminal activity with just a few clicks
Aug. 4, 2022
Investigations come down to the details. Whether a murder happened in a home or back alley, whether a firearm was discharged in a park or a convenience store, or whether it happened in the morning or at night can tell law enforcement vital information.
Having those details at their fingertips can also help criminal justice experts, researchers and everyday Minnesotans better understand criminal activity and what it means for their community.
The Department of Public Safety Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) has been keeping Minnesotans informed about crime in their communities since 1935. But with the full launch of the Minnesota Crime Data Explorer this summer, now anyone can learn about crime activity anywhere in the state with just a few clicks of a mouse.
Minnesota Crime Data Explorer is easy to use and more detailed than previous reports, largely due to a change in crime reporting using the
National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). While past reporting contained summary data about the most serious offense associated with an incident, NIBRS includes many more details on up to 10 crimes associated with an incident, as well as detailed data about the demographics of victims and offenders.
The new online tool incorporates NIBRS and adds to the existing annual uniform crime report published each year. It allows users to query, filter and sort crime data; view trends in charts and graphs; and export graphics and spreadsheets. The visual options make the data more accessible and easier to understand.
The system contains data going back to the beginning of 2021, as well as use-of-force data through the beginning of 2020. Data in the Minnesota Crime Data Explorer may look different from what you’ll find in federal or local crime data reports. That’s because different agencies may publish the data at different times, the data may be updated at different frequencies, or the methodology used to pull data from different systems may differ slightly. In the Minnesota Crime Data Explorer, NIBRS data for a given month is published on the last Monday of the following month. Pursuit, use-of-force and firearms discharge data are published quarterly, on the last Mondays of January, April, July, and October. Once published, all data are updated on a daily basis. Data for prior years is also available in annual Uniform Crime Reports that are posted on the BCA website.
The Minnesota Crime Data Explorer contains information on the following:
- Crimes against persons
- Crimes against property
- Crimes against society
- 5-year crime trends
- Arrests
- Bias crimes
- Pursuits
- Law enforcement use-of-force
- Firearms discharges
- Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA)
- Law enforcement employee information
- Agency reporting information
Together, the Minnesota Crime Data Explorer and the National Incident-Based Reporting System have led to greater transparency and detail available about incidents that occur in Minnesota communities.
You can find the Minnesota Crime Data Explorer on our website.
