Data released from Washington law enforcement agencies showed a rise in serious criminal offenses committed in Washington from 2021 to 2022 — but Auburn saw a slight overall decrease in serious crimes during that time.

The Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs released its 2022 annual report regarding crime in Washington, with data showing an 8.5% increase in serious offenses, classified as Group A offenses, from 2021.

In 2022, 204 participating Washington law enforcement agencies reported 527,124 Group A offenses compared to 485,826 Group A Offenses reported in 2021.

Washington held a crime rate of 67.5 per 1,000 in population in 2022.

The annual report breaks data into categories including crimes against persons like murder, manslaughter, rape, human trafficking offenses and more; crimes against property like robbery, burglary, theft, motor vehicle theft and more; and crimes against society like animal cruelty, drug and narcotic violations, pornography and more.

All crime categories saw increases in 2022 from 2021.

Crimes against persons saw a 4.9% increase, with 109,963 offenses reported in 2022, up from 104,842 in 2021.

Crimes against property saw a 9.8% increase, with 400,304 offenses reported in 2022, up from 364,614 in 2021.

Crimes against society saw a 8.9% increase, with 16,857 offenses reported in 2022, up from 16,370 in 2021.

Specifically violent crime also saw an increase in 2022, with an 8.9% increase from 2021. In 2022, agencies reported 32,397 violent offenses in comparison to 29,750 violent offenses in 2021.

Auburn crimes

The City of Auburn saw a decrease in serious crimes in 2022 from 2021.

Auburn saw an approximately 2% decrease in Group A crimes from 2022 to 2021, with 7,554 Group A crimes committed in 2022, down from 7,698 in 2021.

With a total population of 88,750, Auburn held a Group A crime rate of 85.1 per 1,000 in population in 2022, a decrease from 2021’s rate of 89.8 per 1,000 in population.

Auburn’s Group A crime rate served as higher than the statewide rate of 67.5.

According to the annual report, Auburn saw decreases in several categories of offenses including rapes, simple assaults, robberies, larceny-theft, and drug and narcotic violations.

However, Auburn witnessed an increased in several categories, including murders, aggravated assaults, burglaries and motor vehicle thefts.

With a total of 1,639 offenses, crimes against persons in Auburn accounted for approximately 21.7% of the total number of Group A offenses committed within the city. Auburn’s crime rate for crimes against persons served as higher than the statewide rate, at 18.5 per 1,000 in comparison to 14.1 per 1,000.

With a total of 5,641 offenses, crimes against property in Auburn accounted for approximately 74.7% of the total number of Group A offenses committed within the city. Auburn’s crime rate for crimes against property served as higher than the statewide rate, at 63.6 per 1,000 in comparison to 51.21 per 1,000.

With a total of 274 offenses, crimes against society in Auburn accounted for approximately 3.6% of the total number of Group A offenses committed within the city. Auburn’s crime rate for crimes against society served as higher than the statewide rate, at 3.1 per 1,000 in comparison to 2.21 per 1,000.

Crimes against persons and violent crime

According to the annual report, agencies reported a total of 110,726 crimes against persons in total in 2022, approximately 20.9% of the 530,994 total Group A offenses reported.

With a total population of 7,856,768 for the State of Washington in 2022, the statewide crime rate for crimes against persons equals 14.1 per 1,000.

Out of the 110,726 crimes against persons, the National Incident-Based Reporting System classified 32,571 of the offenses specifically as violent crime. Offenses classified specifically as violent crime include murder, forcible sex offenses, robbery, and aggravated assault.

According to the annual report, a majority of crimes against persons consisted of simple assaults, aggravated assaults, and violations of no contact orders.

Juveniles served as 12.3% of the victims of crimes against persons.

Of the offenses specifically classified as violent crime, aggravated assaults accounted for 60.8% of the offenses, with robbery accounting for 21%, forcible sex offenses accounting for 17%, and murder at 1.2%.

The statewide crime rate for violent crime serves as 4.1 per 1,000.

Female victims served as the victims of 47.2% of violent crimes.

Juvenile victims served as the victims in 16.1% of violent crimes.

As per the locations of violent crimes, a majority of violent crimes occurred in residences, on highways and roads, and at parking lots and garages.

In regards to the relationship between the victim and offender, the offender served as a stranger to the victim in 56.2% of cases.

Crimes against property

According to the annual report, agencies reported a total of 402,872 crimes against property in total in 2022, approximately 75.9% of the total Group A offenses reported.

The statewide crime rate for crimes against property in 2022 served as 51.21 per 1,000.

A majority of crimes against property consisted of larceny-theft, destruction of property, and motor vehicle theft.

Crimes against property resulted in a total of approximately $668.9 million of stolen property in 2022, with law enforcement recovering approximately $179.7 million.

The top stolen property items in 2022 included vehicle parts and accessories, money, automobiles, and clothes and furs.

Crimes against society

According to the annual report, agencies reported a total of 17,396 crimes against society in total in 2022, approximately 3.3% of the total Group A offenses reported.

The statewide crime rate for crimes against society in 2022 served as 2.21 per 1,000.

Possessing and concealing, using and consuming, and distributing and selling weapons and narcotics accounted for a majority of crimes against society in 2022.