Idaho crime rates are seeing an increase

Crime in Idaho is increasing a little more each year. The Idaho State Police released its annual Crime in Idaho Report for 2016.

According to the report:

One murder happened every 7.8 days. One rape happened every 16.6 hours. One kidnapping/abduction happened every 1.9 days. One aggravated assault happened every 3 hours. One robbery happened every 1.7 days.

Looking at the Gem State overall, crime has increased. But, Idaho Falls police are seeing a different trend.

“It showed us a decrease of .5 percent in total crimes reported in Idaho Falls. And that’s for the major crimes,” Chief Mark McBride, with the Idaho Falls Police Department, said.

Back at the state level, there was an 11.7 percent increase of aggravated assaults for 2016. No law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty, but the number of assaults against them is up 2.7 percent from 2015. This trend holds true locally.

“Idaho Falls reported 16 assaults on their officers during 2016. And that’s a significant increase from previous years. We’re probably less than 10, and maybe less than 5, in previous years,” McBride said.

Counties can vary by location and don’t necessarily have to mirror the state numbers. Even though the state’s crime rate has increased, cities and counties can go against the state trend.

The Idaho Falls Police Department went through a shift in software halfway through 2016. Crime totals were unaffected, but a crime might have been classified in a different category. For the full report on the state, and breakdowns for each county and city, visit https://www.isp.idaho.gov/BCI/ucr/crimeinidaho2016.html