Seattle crime statistics show violent offenses up in 2014
Sep 18, 2014, 6:17 AM | Updated: 10:15 am
Seattle Police say they are using the data on crime in near-real-time to help find patterns and arrest offenders. (KIRO Radio Photo/File)
(KIRO Radio Photo/File)
The Seattle Police Department has released its latest crime data showing an increase in violent offenses in 2014.
Overall, crime is up 13 percent compared to the first eight months of 2013. This year, 29,554 crimes have been reported while last year only 26,152 crimes were reported.
Violent crime is up 14 percent. There have been 17 homicides in 2014 compared to 14 in 2013. There have also been 1,502 aggravated assaults, 183 more than in 2013.
Rapes have increased 4 percent. This year 84 rapes have been reported, compared to 81 reported in 2013.
One of the biggest spikes in crime shown was in auto thefts, which were up 44 percent compared to this time last year.
But Seattle police say they are using these numbers in near-real-time to help fight the criminals.
The department says it meets every two weeks to track the stats and data to see if any patterns emerge. If the police find a pattern, they rapidly deploy officers to that area.
SPD recently did this on Capitol Hill, responding to a spike in crime there. Several arrests were made as a result.
