Murders In MN Went Up Nearly 60 Percent In 2020: Report

ACROSS MINNESOTA — There were 185 murders in Minnesota in 2020, a 58.1 percent increase over the 117 murders recorded in 2019, according to a report released by the state's Department of Public Safety Tuesday.

The year 2020 saw the most murders in Minnesota since the Department of Public Safety started recording the data. The previous record was 1995, which saw 183 murders.

Overall, Minnesota saw a 16.6 percent increase in violent crimes in 2020, according to the Department of Public Safety report:

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.

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.

Some crimes did drop, according to the Department of Public Safety. There were 81 human trafficking-related sex crimes in 2020, which is down from 128 in 2019.

Check out the full 2020 report here.