ST. PAUL —The Minnesota Department of Public Safety Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) has released the 2020 Uniform Crime Report. Local law enforcement agencies report crime data to the BCA each year to meet state and federal reporting requirements. The BCA compiles the data into an annual report and provides required data to the FBI for its reporting purposes.
Notable statistics in this year’s report:
Minnesota recorded a 16.6 percent increase in violent crimes in 2020. Most notably, there were 185 murders in 2020 in Minnesota compared to 117 in 2019, an increase of 58.1 percent. The 2020 number also tops by two the 183 total from 1995, which previously had been the highest total. Also, 75 percent of the murders in 2020 were committed with a firearm, up from 69 percent in 2019.
After a significant downward trend over the past several years, arson rose 53.7 percent over 2019. There were 710 arsons reported in 2020 and 462 in 2019.
Motor vehicle theft rose 19.7 percent in 2020 with 13,662 vehicles stolen as compared to 11,410 in 2019. The 2020 total is the highest since 2005.
Bias crimes rose sharply in 2020 with 223 incidents reported – the highest number in 15 years. Forty-one percent of the 2020 incidents were motivated by anti-Black or African American bias.
There were 31 officer involved shooting incidents reported in 2020, an increase of six over 2019, and almost evenly split between the Twin Cities metro and Greater Minnesota.
There were 667 incidents in 2020 where an officer(s) were assaulted in the line of duty. This is a 62 percent increase over 2019, and more than any other year on record.
There were 81 human trafficking-commercial sex crimes in 2020, down from 128 in 2019.
The value of property stolen in 2020 topped $216 million, a 54.5% increase over 2019. Some of the biggest increases were in the value of stolen food and grooming products, money and vehicles.
Violent Crimes
| 2020
| 2019
| 2018
| 2017
| 2016
|
Murder
| 185
| 117
| 104
| 114
| 100
|
Rape
| 2,222
| 2,431
| 2,666
| 2,429
| 2,321
|
Robbery
| 3,885
| 3,081
| 2,943
| 3,645
| 3,725
|
Aggravated Assault
| 8,203
| 6,742
| 6,693
| 7,115
| 7,026
|
Human Trafficking – Commercial Sex Acts⁺
| 81
| 128
| 183
| 173
| 235
|
Human Trafficking – Involuntary Servitude^
| 13
| 10
| 0
| 0
| 0
|
Property Crimes
| 2020
| 2019
| 2018
| 2017
| 2016
|
Burglary
| 16,789
| 15,735
| 16,097
| 18,749
| 18,464
|
Larceny
| 89,130
| 90,257
| 85,394
| 93,455
| 89,924
|
Motor Vehicle Theft
| 13,662
| 11,410
| 10,082
| 9,960
| 8,649
|
Arson
| 710
| 462
| 426
| 534
| 497
|
Additional Crime Data Reported to the BCA
| 2020
| 2019
| 2018
| 2017
| 2016
|
Homicide cleared by arrest
| 65%
| 64%
| 77%
| 74%
| 74%
|
Drug abuse violation cleared by arrest
| 82%
| 88%
| 85%
| 85%
| 85%
|
Drug abuse violation arrest for Opiates, Heroin, Cocaine, etc.
| 1,745
| 2,684
| 2,683
| 2,315
| 1,700
|
Bias motivated incidents
| 223
| 146
| 127
| 147
| 122
|
There were no law enforcement fatalities in 2020.
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. 2020 is the second full year of data collection.
Minnesota agencies reported 45 use-of-force incidents.
16 non-injury incidents
9 during which a person died
9 resulting in serious injury requiring medical attention
8 incidents resulting in a person being unconscious
5 gunshot injury incidents
Agencies reported the following race information for use-of-force incidents.
White (21)
Black (14)
Unknown/Not Reported (5)
American Indian (3)
Asian (3)
The complete 2020 Uniform Crime Report can be viewed on the
BCA website. Additional years’ reports can be found on the same page.
Definitions and Explanations
* Crime rate is the number of crimes reported by law enforcement per 100,000 population.
⁺ Includes offenses where a person was induced by fraud or coercion to participate in commercial sex acts, or in which the person induced to perform such act(s) has not attained 18 years of age.
^ Includes offenses where a person(s) is obtained through recruitment, harboring, transportation, or provision and subjected by force, fraud, or coercion into involuntary servitude, peonage, debt, bondage, or slavery.
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.
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