Crime in Minnesota encompasses a wide range of unlawful activities that occur within the state, regulated by both state and federal laws. While crime rates in Minnesota are generally below the national average, certain areas and types of crime have garnered public attention.
The historical development of crime in Minnesota has been influenced by various factors including immigration patterns, economic fluctuations, and social changes. During the early 20th century, organized crime, primarily related to prohibition, was a notable issue. Over the decades, the types and rates of crime have evolved.
During the Great Depression, Minnesota gained notoriety as a haven for gangsters. Among the most infamous were Ma Barker and her son Fred Barker, along with Alvin Karpis, who were part of the Barker-Karpis gang. They were responsible for a series of robberies, kidnappings, and murders. In 1933, they kidnapped William Hamm, a millionaire brewer, and secured a ransom for his release.
One of the most high-profile cases was the kidnapping and murder of 11-year-old Jacob Wetterling in 1989. Wetterling's disappearance remained unsolved for nearly 27 years, with his remains finally discovered in 2016. The case had a profound impact on Minnesota and the entire nation, leading to the establishment of the Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act, requiring states to implement a sex offender and crimes against children registry.
In recent years, the Minneapolis Police Department has been at the center of national attention for instances of police brutality, most notably the killing of George Floyd in 2020. The incident sparked nationwide protests and led to an ongoing debate on police reform. The event prompted the Minneapolis City Council to consider dismantling the police department, a move that voters rejected in 2021.
According to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program, Minnesota's crime rates have generally remained below the national average. However, fluctuations occur year-to-year, and some cities, such as Minneapolis and St. Paul, experience higher crime rates compared to other parts of the state.
In 1990, Minnesota reported a violent crime rate of 291 incidents per 100,000 residents. By 1994, this number peaked at 356 before stabilizing somewhat in the 2000s. However, the rate surged again to 311 by 2021.
Property crime in Minnesota has shown a more consistent trend of reduction. In 1990, the state had a property crime rate of 4,265 per 100,000 residents, which decreased to 2,078 by 2021. This decline is in line with national trends.
As of 2023, the overall crime rate in Minneapolis, the state's largest city, stands at approximately 5,713 crimes per 100,000 residents. This rate is approximately 138% higher than the state average and 143% higher than the national average. [1] While this number represents a decrease from the peak reached in 2021, [2] it still paints a picture of Minneapolis as a city with significantly higher crime rates than the average American city. [3] [4] [5]
Violent crime statistics present a particularly concerning aspect of the city's crime landscape. [6] Minneapolis's violent crime rate of 1,155 crimes per 100,000 residents is more than three times higher than the state average and nearly twice the national average. [7] From 2008 to 2023, there were a total of 73,702 violent crime reported. This included 783 homicides, 7,376 rapes, 27,841 robberies, 37,702 aggravated assaults, and 12,900 domestic assaults. The homicide rate, while fluctuating year to year, remains persistently higher than the national average, increasing significantly in 2020 following the murder of George Floyd. [8] [9]
While black Americans make up 18 percent of Minneapolis' population, they were 77 percent of the city's homicide victims in 2022. [1] In 2023, there were a total of 72 homicides, 303 carjackings, and 413 gunshot wound victims. [4] [5]
Property crime accounts for roughly 80% of all reported offenses in Minneapolis. This includes burglaries, thefts, and motor vehicle thefts. Similar to violent crime, Minneapolis's property crime rate exceeds both the state and national averages. In 2023, there were 7,868 reported motor vehicle thefts reported, up significantly from the previous 3 year average. [4] [5]
From 1 January 2017 to 31 December 2023, Minneapolis Police made a total of 151,018 stops. About 13% resulted in a citation and 9.6% resulted in a vehicle check. 39.1% of those checked were African American, 25.8% were white, 5.7% were East African, 4.6% were Latino, 3.3% were Native American, 1.8% Asian, 2.8% other, and 17.0% of stops did not report race. [10]
Selected crimes in Minneapolis by year [4]
Type | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Animal cruelty | 33 | 22 | 21 | 19 | 21 |
Assault | 8,964 | 8,919 | 8,522 | 9,410 | 8,919 |
Burglary | 3,360 | 3,971 | 2,546 | 2,611 | 2,617 |
Drug-related crime | 2,305 | 1,550 | 964 | 1,144 | 1,351 |
Homicide | 54 | 87 | 102 | 87 | 72 |
Human trafficking | 33 | 25 | 11 | 7 | 14 |
Motor vehicle theft | 2,990 | 4,099 | 4,263 | 6,283 | 7,868 |
Robbery | 1,321 | 1,830 | 2,221 | 1,798 | 1,447 |
Violent crimes include offenses like homicide, assault, and robbery. Violent crimes have shown an increase in recent years. Aggravated assaults surged from 7,131 cases in 2009 to 10,967 in 2021. Murders also increased, albeit at a smaller volume, from 69 in 2009 to 201 in 2021. [1]
Property crimes such as burglary, theft, and motor vehicle theft are more prevalent but generally less reported. Property crimes like burglary and larceny have mostly declined. Burglaries dropped from 25,165 in 2009 to 14,429 in 2021. Larcenies decreased from 103,695 in 2009 to 88,644 in 2021. However, motor vehicle theft has seen an increase, climbing from 8,379 cases in 2009 to 14,829 in 2021. [1]
Law enforcement in Minnesota is a collaborative effort between local police departments, county sheriff's offices, and state agencies like the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA). The state also collaborates with federal agencies, such as the FBI and DEA, for more complex investigations.
Minnesota's judicial system operates on a three-tier model, consisting of District Court, the Minnesota Court of Appeals, and the Minnesota Supreme Court. The system is tasked with interpreting and applying the law in criminal cases.
Capital punishment is not used in Minnesota. [11]
Minnesota's prison system is managed by the Minnesota Department of Corrections, overseeing several facilities across the state. In recent years, there has been a focus on reducing recidivism rates through various rehabilitative programs. [12]
As of June 2023, [update] the adult prison population in Minnesota stands at 8,274 individuals, the majority of whom are male (92.7%). [13] [14] The racial composition is diverse, with concentrations of White (50.6%), Black (37.2%), and Native American (9.2%) inmates. When it comes to offenses, the top categories are homicide, criminal sexual conduct, and drug-related crimes, comprising a significant portion of the incarcerated population. Specifically, homicide accounts for 19.2% and criminal sexual conduct for 18.8%. The average age of inmates is approximately 39.6 years, with a significant number (1,526) aged 50 or older. [14]
In terms of educational background, the majority have a high school diploma (67.2%), and most are single (71.0%) by marital status. A plurality identify as Christians (44.2%). [14] During the fiscal year 2023, the prison system admitted 4,871 new individuals. Most admissions were new commitments (68.6%), followed by individuals returning without a new sentence (24.6%). Releases were mostly into supervised release or parole programs, constituting 78.4% of all releases. Among the facilities, Faribault and Stillwater are the largest, housing 23.6% and 14.3% of the population, respectively. [14]
Several crime prevention programs exist within Minnesota, targeting various aspects of criminal activity. Initiatives like neighborhood watch programs, educational campaigns, and drug treatment programs are aimed at reducing both violent and non-violent crimes. [15]
Crime in Canada is generally considered low overall. Under the Canadian constitution, the power to establish criminal law and rules of investigation is vested in the federal Parliament. The provinces share responsibility for law enforcement, and while the power to prosecute criminal offences is assigned to the federal government, responsibility for prosecutions is delegated to the provinces for most types of criminal offences. Laws and sentencing guidelines are uniform throughout the country, but provinces vary in their level of enforcement.
Minnesota Correctional Facility – Oak Park Heights (MCF-OPH) is Minnesota's only Level Five maximum security prison. The facility is located near the cities of Bayport and Stillwater. The facility is designed and employed with trained security officers to handle not only Minnesota's high-risk inmates but other states' as well. They also have the largest contract to house federal inmates with serious, violent histories. The prison has never had an escape, and only one homicide.
Crime in St. Louis includes an overview of crime both in the city of St. Louis and in the Greater St. Louis metropolitan area. Crime in the city increased from the 1960s through the early 1990s as measured by the index crime rate. Despite decreasing crime, rates of violent crime and property crime in both the city and the metropolitan area remain higher than the national metropolitan area average. In addition, the city of St. Louis consistently has been ranked among the most dangerous cities in the United States. As of April 2017, St. Louis has the highest murder rate in America. At the end of 2017, St. Louis metropolitan had 205 murders, 159 of which were within the city limits. In 2018, the new Chief of Police, John Hayden said two-thirds (67%) of all the murders and one-half of all the assaults are concentrated in a triangular area in the north part of the city.
Crime has been recorded in the United States since its founding and has fluctuated significantly over time. Most available data underestimate crime before the 1930s, giving the false impression that crime was low in the early 1900s and had a sharp rise after. Instead, violent crime during the colonial period was likely three times higher than the highest modern rates in the data we have, and crime had been on the decline since colonial times. Within the better data for crime reporting and recording available starting in the 1930s, crime reached its broad, bulging modern peak between the 1970s and early 1990s. After 1992, crime rates have generally trended downwards each year, with the exceptions of a slight increase in property crimes in 2001 and increases in violent crimes in 2005–2006, 2014–2016 and 2020–2021.
Crime in Chicago has been tracked by the Chicago Police Department's Bureau of Records since the beginning of the 20th century. The city's overall crime rate, especially the violent crime rate, is higher than the US average. Gangs in Chicago have a role in the city's crime rate. The number of homicides in Chicago hit a 25-year high in 2021.
The Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) is the primary law enforcement agency in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It is also the largest police department in Minnesota. Formed in 1867, it is the second-oldest police department in Minnesota, after the Saint Paul Police Department that formed in 1854. A short-lived Board of Police Commissioners existed from 1887 to 1890.
A major case squad is a division within some police departments. The detectives of these divisions typically investigate crimes beyond the scope of normal squads. These functions vary from department to department.
Crime in Atlanta, Georgia is above the national median and has been a major problem for the city since the middle 20th century.
Crime in California refers to crime occurring within the U.S. state of California.
According to the Louisiana Uniform Crime reporting program, there were 177,710 crimes reported in the U.S. state of Louisiana in 2018. 2018 had the least amount of non-violent criminal offenses since at least 2008. Violent crime decreased from 2017 to 2018, but 2012 still remains the lowest with its record of 22,868. Rape went up 12.7% from 2017 while murder/non-negligent manslaughter declined 7.8%. Additionally, robbery dropped 15% and aggravated assault dropped 1.5%. Handguns remain the leading murder weapon with a rate of 44.7% with firearm following close behind at 35.7%. Together, these two contribute for 80.4% of the murders. Similarly, robberies were committed mostly with firearms in 2018. Firearms were leading with 52% and strongarm listed with a percentage of 35%.
In 2019, 43,686 crimes were reported in the U.S. state of Michigan. Crime statistics vary widely by location. For example, Dearborn has a murder rate of only 2.1 per 100,000 while sharing borders with Detroit and Inkster, some of the highest rates in the state.
South Dakota, a state in the Midwestern United States, generally has a lower crime rate than the national average. However, crime rates vary within the state, with some rural areas having much lower rates than in the Sioux Falls or Rapid City areas. Overall crime rates in South Dakota have been relatively stable in recent years.
Crime in Utah manifests in various forms, including but not limited to violent crimes, property crimes, drug-related offenses, and white-collar crimes. While some regions in Utah report lower crime rates relative to national averages, certain urban areas experience elevated levels of specific types of crime. The state grapples with a range of law enforcement challenges that reflect both its urban and rural landscapes, as well as its unique sociocultural factors.
Crime rates in Connecticut are lower than in the United States as a whole and have fallen significantly over the past decade, according to the 2021 Crime in Connecticut Report. This pattern holds true overall, and for most types of crime.
The American city of Baltimore, Maryland, is notorious for its crime rate, which ranks well above the national average. Violent crime spiked in 2015 after the death of Freddie Gray on April 19, 2015, which touched off riots and an increase in murders. The city recorded 348 homicides in 2019, a number second only to the number recorded in 1993 when the population was nearly 125,000 higher.
San Francisco currently has lower-than-average rates of violent crime when compared with other major U.S. cities, while property crimes, such as theft and burglary, are higher than the national average.
On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old black American man, was murdered in Minneapolis by Derek Chauvin, a 44-year-old white police officer. Floyd had been arrested after a store clerk alleged that he made a purchase using a counterfeit $20 bill. Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck for over nine minutes while Floyd was handcuffed and lying face-down in a street. Two other police officers, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane, assisted Chauvin in restraining Floyd. Lane had also pointed a gun at Floyd's head before Floyd was handcuffed. A fourth police officer, Tou Thao, prevented bystanders from intervening.
False rumors of a police shooting resulted in rioting, arson, and looting in the U.S. city of Minneapolis from August 26–28, 2020. The events began as a reaction to the suicide of Eddie Sole Jr., a 38-year old black man who was being pursued by Minneapolis police officers for his alleged involvement in a homicide. At approximately 2 p.m. on August 26, Sole died after he shot himself in the head as officers approached to arrest him. False rumors quickly spread on social media that Minneapolis police officers had fatally shot Sole. To quell unrest, Minneapolis police released closed-circuit television surveillance footage that captured Sole's suicide, which was later confirmed by a Hennepin County Medical Examiner's autopsy report.
The aftermath of the George Floyd protests in Minneapolis–Saint Paul describes the result of civil disorder between May 26 and June 7, 2020, in the Twin Cities metropolitan area of the U.S. state of Minnesota. Protests began as a response to the murder of George Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American man on May 25, after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds as three other officers assisted during an arrest. The incident was captured on a bystander's video and it drew public outrage as video quickly circulated in the news media by the following day.
Leneal Frazier was a 40-year-old African American man who was killed in Minneapolis at about 12:30 a.m. on July 6, 2021, in a car crash with officer Brian Cummings of the Minneapolis Police Department. That night, Cummings was pursuing suspected thieves in a vehicle at a high rate of speed through a residential neighborhood and ran a red light when he unintentionally struck Frazier's vehicle at a street intersection. Frazier, who was an innocent bystander and not involved in the police chase, died at the scene. Cummings faced criminal charges for operating his police vehicle negligently and causing Frazier's death. In mid 2023, he pleaded guilty to the criminal charge of vehicular homicide and received a nine-month prison sentence.