UCR Report shows chilling Alaskan crime statistics

WASILLA — The statewide crime statistics report from the Federal Bureau of Investigation was released on Feb. 20 and shows chilling statistics of where Alaska ranks against the national averages. The Uniform Crime Reporting published by the Department of Public Safety represents the reporting from 32 agencies in Alaska. Violent crimes increased by 6.5 percent.

ASSAULT/MURDER

Assault accounts for two thirds of reported violent crimes in the state, and increased by 6.5 percent in 2017 2ith 4,236 offenses. Alaska has the highest rate of aggravated assault in the last 10 years, and saw a 13 percent increase in 2015. Alaska has an assault rate 131 percent higher than the national average. Of those arrested for assault, 94 percent were adults, 75 percent were male, and 49 percent were Alaska Native.

Murder saw a 19.6 percent increase in 2017 with 62 offenses. The murder rate in Alaska jumped above the national average in 2013, and increased by 47 percent in 2015. However, in 2016, the murder rate decreased 12 percent. Of homicides committed in 2017, 60 percent involved a firearm, down from 83 percent in 2016. Of female homicide victims, 56 percent were murdered by an intimate partner. Of the known murder suspects, 81 percent were adult, 80 percent were male, and 47 percent were white.

RAPE

Statistics on rape are particularly disturbing, accounting for 17 percent of all violent crimes, and soaring to 249 percent of the national average. Of the 1,073 offenses reported in 2017, 126 persons were arrested. While nearly four fifths of persons arrested were adults, 99 percent were male and 60 percent of persons arrested were Alaska Native. 2014 actually saw a 17.1 percent decrease, but the rate of rape increased by 16.8 percent in 2015 and another 16.6 percent increase in 2016. Only .3 percent of suspects in Felony Sex Offense cases were strangers to victims under the age of 18. The median age of FSO suspects was 30, but the most common age was 18. FSO suspects over the age of 18 account for 85 percent of suspects, while 36 percent were Alaska Native and 29 percent were white. Western Alaska has an alarmingly high 410.1 sex offense incidents per 100,000 people, and a rate higher than the statewide rate at a clip of 106 percent. Anchorage accounted for 50 percent of the reported sex offenses. The rape definition was expanded in 2013 to include victims and offenders of both sex, include anal and oral penetration and removed forcible from the terminology. The most common age of FSO victims was 15, while the median age was 19 and 27 percent of FSO victims were under 18 years of age. Of the 1,247 sexual assault violations, 758 were first degree offenses, 383 were second degree, and 39 sexual assault violations were third degree. Sexual Assault of a minor saw different statistics, where 195 were first degree, 383 second degree, and 39 were third degree SAM offenses.

ROBBERY/THEFT

Robbery offenses jumped 12.3 percent in 2017, accounting for 15 percent of violent crimes with 949 offenses. Burglary losses in 2017 was over $10.4 million. Total reported losses in 2017 from larceny and theft were $15.3 million. Alaska jumped the national rate for robberies in 2015, when robberies increased by more than 20 percent. 2013 actually saw a decrease in robbery by just under one percent, and 2014 robberies increased by just under one percent. However, $850,000 in losses were reported from robberies in 2017. Of those arrested for robbery, 93 percent were adults, 84 percent were male, and 43 percent were white. Larceny and theft accounts for two thirds of property crime, with only a .3 percent increase. A large spike in burglaries was recorded between 2015 and 2016, when rates jumped 11.2 and 14.8 percent, respectively. Burglary only increased 3.2 percent in 2017, with 4,153 reported burglaries. Robbery saw a dramatic increase of 20.65 percent in 2015. Burglary accounts for 15.8 percent of property crimes. The UCR shows similar statistics on who is committing robberies and thefts, but while 86 percent of those arrested for Burglary were male, only 65 percent of those arrested for larceny and theft were male.

Vehicle theft skyrocketed nearly 40 percent, accounting for 16 percent of property crimes with 4,250 offenses. Alaska jumped the national vehicle theft average in 2013, and saw a major spike between 2015 and 2017. In 2016 alone, vehicle theft in Alaska jumped 48.7 percent, with a 150% increase since 2013. The total of reported losses in vehicle theft total $34.1 million in 2017.

However, Alaska did have its lowest drug possession rate of offenses in 10 years in 2016. During 2016, only 797 drug possession offenses were reported, and 824 offenses were recorded in 2017. Alaska has the lowest rate of sales and manufacturing in the last 10 years. Marijuana was made legal for recreational use in 2015, possibly contributing to the downward trend. The DPS statistics in the UCR do not count individual drug charges, only the number of persons charged.

Arson jumped 25.1 percent in 2015.

Contact Frontiersman reporter Tim Rockey at tim.rockey@frontiersman.com.