Police: St. Paul saw more homicides, fewer other violent crimes in 2019

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - St. Paul saw more homicides and fewer other violent crimes in 2019, the department announced Wednesday.

Police report that, overall, Part I crime increased by 8.4 percent, according to preliminary data compiled by the department. Officials said the data shows that the increase was largely driven by property crimes, which include motor vehicle thefts, thefts and burglaries.  

According to a release, Part I offenses are defined by the FBI and are broken down into two categories: crimes against persons and crimes against property. Crimes against persons include criminal homicide, rape and aggravated assault. Crimes against property include robbery, burglary, theft, motor vehicle theft and arson.  

In 2019, crimes against persons fell by 13.3 percent, while crimes against property rose by 11.2 percent. Violent crime - which includes homicide, rape, aggravated assault and robbery - hit a 25-year low. 

The department listed the number of reports for each category as well as how it compares to the previous year:

•    224 rapes (19.1 percent decrease),
•    545 robberies (2.7 percent decrease),
•    943 aggravated assaults (13.4 percent decrease),
•    2,030 burglaries (6.3 percent increase),
•    6,673 thefts (13.5 percent increase),
•    2,590 vehicle thefts (12.8 percent increase), and
•    118 arsons (7.3 percent increase).
•    30 criminal homicides (100 percent increase)