Reported crime has edged up in Minneapolis so far this year, leaving city officials, police and community leaders to wonder whether the increase is an aberration or a sign of a major crime trend in the state's largest city.
The nearly 13% jump in violent crime mirrors a similar trend across the river in St. Paul, where law enforcement officials are scrambling to quell a recent spate of violence.
In Minneapolis, police data show that the city's 37 homicides climbed 32% from 28 this time last year, while aggravated assaults, rapes and robberies also rose during the first 10 months of the year, contributing to the increase in reports of violent crime, according to newly released Police Department statistics. The data show that property crime reports were up nearly 15% during the same period.
This comes on the heels of a sharp decline the year before, when the city logged 30-year lows in many crime categories, according to deputy police chief Erick Fors.
"When you have significant crime reductions, those are difficult numbers to compare yourself against," said Fors, who runs the department's Investigative Bureau, while stressing that no one factor can explain the sudden jump. "If there's anything that we learned over time, it's that we don't get anywhere without our partnerships — we're just one leg of the chair, and we can't do it alone, and the community can't do it alone, and the courts can't do it alone."
For the year to date, violent crime is down 3% compared to the previous five-year average, police statistics show. The number of shooting victims is up roughly 9% to 234 — still down from the previous 5-year average of 241. About half of shootings happen in Minneapolis' 4th Precinct.
The increase has emerged as a significant issue in the debate over police resources, which reached a boiling point this fall with the release of viral videos showing people being violently assaulted and robbed after leaving downtown bars. Advocates of adding more officers worry about a reversal of a steady decline that began in the 1990s, as the city continues its rapid growth.
Mayor Jacob Frey, who has asked for 14 new officers, said the rising violence underscored the need for a different approach to addressing crime and its causes, pointing to recent bail reform efforts, increased "resources for economic inclusion" and further investment in affordable housing, seen as a major hurdle for former offenders trying to reintegrate into society.