Number of homicides up 22 percent in Hennepin County last year
(KMSP) - The murder rate in Hennepin County went up by nearly a quarter over the past year, according to new numbers from the sheriff's department released Thursday, while overall violent crime ticked up by a more meager two percent.
Law enforcement advocates are quick to point out that violent crime decreased by 25 percent over the last decade, though Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek maintains that his first priority is reducing the amount of crimes committed in Minneapolis and the surrounding suburbs.
From 2016 to 2017 the number of homicides rose from 46 to 56, though the number of robberies also went down by around five percent.
Property crime also saw a slight three percent uptick, with a hefty 54 percent increase in motor vehicle thefts during 2017.