Violent crime dropped in 2023 across Minnesota, BCA data says

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Violent crime in Minnesota decreased in 2023 compared to 2022, according to a yearly report by the state's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

The bureau on Friday released its 2023 Uniform Crime Report , which summarizes crime data submitted by the state's law enforcement agencies.

The report says Minnesota saw a decrease in violent crime by 6.9% overall, and 8.2% in the metro area. It's the second year in a row that crime overall dipped statewide.

The number of murders stayed nearly flat: 181 murders in 2023 compared to 182 in 2022. Firearms were involved in 69.6% of incidents, which is down from 73.1% in 2022.

Motor vehicle thefts also decreased in 2023 by 6.8%. Carjacking incidents also decreased by 37.8% statewide, the bureau's data show.

In an interview with WCCO earlier in August, Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt said motor vehicle thefts were down in the metro thanks to a new auto theft team.

The teams are "out there proactively, not just preventing car thefts but actually recovering vehicles so people aren't left without their property for long periods of time," she explained. "We know how much of a strain that can be on family, work when people do not have their vehicle and let's not even mention insurance costs."

Carjacking figures in Minneapolis have remained flat in Minneapolis.

Data from the bureau says that bias crimes rose in 2023, with 180 reported incidents, compared to 168 incidents in 2022.

Minnesota saw the same number of law enforcement use-of-force incidents in 2023 as in 2021, according to reported data. The bureau said seven people died, nine incidents involved serious injury and five did not involve injuries. Law enforcement used force against 12 White people, seven Black people, two American Indian/Alaskan Native people, and one Asian person, data says.