ST. PAUL — 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.
In addition to data measuring criminal activity statewide, the report contains other information required in statute, including the number of law enforcement officers killed or assaulted; firearm discharges by police officers; and police pursuits.
The 2021 report reflects the state's transition to a more detailed, incident-based reporting system. This is also the first year this data can be accessed in the Minnesota Crime Data Explorer, a tool on the BCA website that can be used by the public and law enforcement leaders to track and respond to crime trends.
“The Department of Public Safety has stepped up investigations and proactive patrols in partnership with our federal, state and local officers," said Minnesota Commissioner of Public Safety John Harrington. “By following the data, we hope these efforts will reduce victimization, improve focused and effective rapid responses, and hold offenders accountable."
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.
Violent Crimes
| | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
| Murder | 201 | 185 | 117 | 104 | 114 |
| Rape | 2,472 | 2,222 | 2,431 | 2,666 | 2,429 |
| Robbery | 3,991 | 3,885 | 3,081 | 2,943 | 3,645 |
| Aggravated Assault | 10,967 | 8,203 | 6,742 | 6,693 | 7,115 |
Property Crimes
| | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
| Burglary | 14,429 | 16,789 | 15,735 | 16,097 | 18,749 |
| Larceny | 88,644 | 89,130 | 90,257 | 85,394 | 93,455 |
| Motor Vehicle Theft | 14,829
| 13,662 | 11,410 | 10,082 | 9,960 |
| Arson | 716 | 710 | 462 | 426 | 534 |
Additional Crime Data Reported to the BCA
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
| Homicide Cleared by Arrest | 62% | 65% | 64% | 77% | 74% | 74% |
| Drug Abuse Violations Cleared by Arrest | 80%
| 82% | 88% | 85% | 85% | 85% |
| Bias Motivated Incidents | 238 | 223 | 146 | 127 | 147 | 122 |
One police K-9 was fatally wounded in the line of duty in 2021.
Use of Force Data Collection
The Minnesota Legislature during a 2020 special session enacted a new law (Minn. Stat. 626.5534) requiring Minnesota law enforcement agencies to provide information about use-of-force incidents for the FBI's Use-of-Force Data Collection. Agencies had already begun providing data on a voluntary basis in 2018 shortly after the FBI first established the data collection.
The incidents that require reporting under the law include those where a firearm was discharged toward a person, and any use-of-force incident resulting in serious bodily injury or death. Agencies provide information including the race, gender and age of the person and the officer, type of force used and resistance encountered. Last year was the third full year of data collection.
Minnesota agencies reported 30 use-of-force incidents in 2021, down from 45 in 2020.
- 13 persons died
- 11 incidents resulted in 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)
The complete 2021 Uniform Crime Report can be accessed on the BCA website. The Minnesota Crime Data Explorer and additional years' reports can be found on the same page.
About the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension
The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) provides investigative and specialized law enforcement services to prevent and solve crimes in partnership with law enforcement, public safety and criminal justice agencies. Services include criminal justice training, forensic laboratory analysis, criminal histories and investigations.
About the Minnesota Department of Public Safety
DPS comprises 10 divisions where 2,100 employees operate programs in the areas of law enforcement, crime victim assistance, traffic safety, alcohol and gambling, emergency communications, fire safety, pipeline safety, driver licensing, vehicle registration and emergency management. DPS activity is anchored by three core principles: education, enforcement and prevention.
###
