Crime Rates In Washington On The Decline, But Is It Enough?

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been sick of all the doom-and-gloom news for a while.

That’s why when I saw this story, I was like, “FINALLY! This is something to be happy about!”

Crime has decreased statewide. Although there are a few exceptions, it is dropping overall.

That’s something that we should be proud of and thankful for!

According to the Washington Association of Sheriffs & Police Chiefs (WASPC) annual report, which uses data compiled by the FBI and different police agencies throughout Washington, crime has been on a downward trend, especially since the highs we saw during the pandemic.

Washington Crime Breakdown By The Numbers:

Tracking the number of reported incidents from 2022 to 2023, you really do see a decrease.

Crimes against People: 111,003 in 2022 vs. 110,332, a .06% decrease

Violent Crimes: 31,050 in 2022 vs. 32,853, a 5.5% decrease

Murders: 399 in 2022 vs. 376 in 2023, a 5.8% decrease (still much higher than 2019).

Property Crime: Decreased by 11.9%.

Vice Crimes (drug / prostitution / gambling): Increased by 22.4% (a majority involving drugs).

Hate Crimes: Increased by 5.5%.

Juvenile Arrests: Increased by 24%.

While crime compared to the rest of the country, one reason may be that Washington has the lowest number of officers per capita.

That is an average of 1.35 law enforcement officers per thousand residents in Washington, compared to the national average of 2.31, according to the Washington Association of Sheriffs & Police Chiefs.

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