MYNORTHWEST NEWS

Crime spiked in Seattle, Tacoma, and Vancouver early last year

Feb 26, 2019, 11:57 AM | Updated: 11:59 am

Elma standoff arrows 13-year-old boy...

(AP)

(AP)

Crime fluctuated in 2018, depending on the type of offense and where you look in Washington. But some cities got hit much harder than others.

Take Tacoma, for example. The FBI’s most recent crime statistics show that crime rose in 7/10 categories over the first half of 2018. Violent crime went from 770 reported incidents in 2017 to 950 in 2018. Robberies went from 183 reports to 257. Overall, incidents went up in Tacoma for violent crime; murder; rape; robbery; aggravated assault; larceny; and arson. Car thefts, burglaries, and property crimes dropped.

Seattle also experienced a rise in crime across seven categories, with the worst being property crime, which rose by 376 reports (18,686 to 19,062); burglary increased by 253 (3,837 to 4,090); and vehicle thefts jumped by 222 (1,670 to 1,892).

RELATED: Hate crimes dramatically rise in Washington
RELATED: Bias crime spikes in King County

But Tacoma and Seattle are not the sole targets of the FBI’s most recent analysis covering reported crimes from the first six months of 2018. It compares data from January through June in 2017 and 2018 from Washington’s eight largest cities, including: Bellevue; Everett; Kent; Renton; Seattle; Spokane; Tacoma; Vancouver. Therefore, the data is preliminary and doesn’t cover all of 2018.

A few notable points (first six months of 2018 compared to first six months of 2017):

  • Nationally, violent crime (murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault) went down by 4.3 percent; rape alone rose .6 percent; property crimes fell by 7.2 percent.
  • Crime only rose in two categories in Renton — robbery and car theft.
  • Crime dropped in every category except one (car theft) in Everett.
  • Tacoma, Seattle, and Vancouver all experienced spikes in crime in seven categories.
  • Some stats seem negligible, such as burglaries dropping by two reports in Kent (411 in 2017 and 409 in 2018); aggravated assault rising by three reports in Spokane (from 500 to 503); or property crime dropping in Bellevue by 24 reports (2,235 to 2,211).

See the full excerpt for Washington state below.

FBI

MyNorthwest News

Speed zone cameras Pacific Alpac Elementary school...

Julie Berg, KIRO 7 News

New school speed zone cameras to begin 30-day warning period in Pacific

The City of Pacific says it has expanded its automated traffic safety camera program with the activation of new school speed zone cameras near Alpac Elementary School.

1 hour ago

Seattle Freeways tailgaters...

Charlie Harger

Harger: Turn signals, tailgaters, and the 5 most annoying drivers on Seattle freeways

I drive to work in the dark, and I’m coming down the ramp from westbound Highway 18 onto northbound I-5. Wipers going. Coffee in the cupholder. A semi is barreling down the right lane, and there’s a car in front of me on the ramp.

2 hours ago

seatac crash i-5...

KIRO 7 News Staff

NB lanes of I-5 in SeaTac reopen 7 hours after deadly multi-car crash

The northbound lanes of I-5 in SeaTac were closed for almost 7 hours, and traffic was backed up over a mile after a deadly multi-car crash on Thursday night.

2 hours ago

Wild Lanterns...

Paul Holden

Wild Lanterns, ski deals and tasty bites: Your Seattle area weekend guide

Wild Lanterns, ski deals, and tasty bites are just a few events going on this weekend around the Seattle area.

3 hours ago

Auburn (1)...

James Lynch

Attorneys file notice of claim against City of Auburn on behalf of man punched during arrest

Attorneys representing 33-year-old Mauro Valles have filed a Notice of Claim, a precursor to a lawsuit, against the City of Auburn.

13 hours ago

Brown - transgender ban...

Julia Dallas

WA attorney general’s office appoints outside law firm to defend transgender sports ban

The Washington AG's Office announced it appointed an outside law firm to defend I-638, which will bar transgender girls from girls' school sports.

14 hours ago

Crime spiked in Seattle, Tacoma, and Vancouver early last year