Idaho crime: Rate down, offenses up

Although the overall crime rate in the state of Idaho decreased in 2022, the number of offenses increased by 3%.

The number of Group A offenses was 79,347 in the state in 2022, compared to 77,033 in 2021, according to Idaho State Police Uniform Crime Reporting data released this month. Group A offenses include crimes against person, property and society. Group B offenses are reported only when an arrest is made and include disorderly conduct, DUI, nonviolent family offenses, trespassing and liquor law violations.

However, the crime rate in Idaho — per 100,000 people — continued its downward trend. It was 4,093.2 in 2022, compared to 4,8282.3 in 2021, and the highest in the last five years was 5,028.8 in 2018, according to the crime report.

The total number of Group A crimes in District 2, which includes Latah, Nez Perce, Lewis, Clearwater and Idaho counties, was 4,753 for a 113,351 population. However, District 2 had the second-highest crime rate in the state with 4,193.2 per 100,000 population.

The number of arrests statewide also increased by 3.4%, with 51,393 reported arrests in 2022 and 49,710 in 2021. Of those arrested, 32,353 were adult men and 13,533 were adult women and 60.9% were residents in the locality where they were arrested.

Crimes against persons

Crimes against persons include murder, manslaughter, sexual assault, aggravated and simple assault, rape and human trafficking. There was a 6.8% increase in crime against persons, from 19,003 offenses reported in 2022 compared to 17,788 in 2021. It also includes a 7.1% increase in simple assaults from 2021. Simple assaults account for 59.2% of the crime against persons.

Statewide violent crimes increased 8.8%, with 4,715 offenses reported and 1,831 total arrests. The five-year violent crime trend increased gradually since 2018, but the largest increase was from 2021 to 2022 with 4,334 to 4,715. Aggravated assaults account for 74.5% of all violent crimes and the number of offenses increased to 14.7% in 2022.

Women are more likely to be victims of crimes against persons, with 8,197 adult women and 2,573 juvenile girls being victims compared to 6,234 adult men and 1,878 juvenile boys. Of those crimes, 3,557 of the perpetrators were an acquaintance of the victim.

The area with the most increase was reports of human trafficking for commercial sex acts, increasing 433.3% from six reports in 2021 to 32 in 2022.

However, the number of nonconsensual sex offenses decreased by 8.4% and rape also decreased by 8.2%.

Crimes against society

Crimes against society include drug and narcotic violations, pornography and obscene materials, weapons law violations and animal cruelty. Crimes against society increased by 3%, including a 2.4% increase of drug/narcotic violations, which accounts for 49% of the crimes against society.

Of those arrested for drug and narcotic violations, 5,146 were white men and 2,447 were white women. The most common type of criminal activity was possessing or concealing, at 69.4% of offenses. Juvenile arrests increased from 695 in 2021 to 843 in 2022.

Of the total Group A offenses in 2022, 32.4% indicated drug and/or alcohol use while the crime was being committed, which is a 1.6% increase from last year.

Animal cruelty reports increased by 44.6% with 94 reports in 2022 compared to 65 in 2021.

Crimes against property

Crimes against property include robbery, arson, burglary, embezzlement and bribery. Crimes against property only increased 0.9%, but had a 0.4% decrease of larceny/theft offenses, which accounts for 41.9% of the crimes against property.

However, larceny/theft offenses still had the highest rate per 100,000 population at 689.54 with bribery at the lowest with 0.26. The most common property type that was stolen was money with $37,840,389 in total value.

Embezzlement increased by 80.5%, with 231 crimes reported in 2022 compared to 128 in 2021. The top location for embezzlement was a department and discount stores at 31.2%.

Extortion and blackmail also increased by 61.6%, with 160 offenses in 2022 and 99 in 2021. Of those offenses only one resulted in an arrest. Cyberspace was the most common place extortion and blackmail took place.

Hate crimes

Hate crimes in Idaho increased by 6.4%. There were 50 reports this year compared to 47 last year. The most reports of hate crimes in the last five years was 54 in 2020 and the least amount was 26 in 2018. Of those reports, 46% were racially motivated and 30% were because of a person’s sexual orientation.

Arrests and assaults on law enforcement

Law enforcement reported a 16.5% increase of the number of assaults on law enforcement officers, with 488 officers reported being assaulted. Most of the officers who were assaulted were city officers at 73.8% and 24.6% of the assaults took place between 8 p.m. and midnight. Of those assaults, 174 were when law enforcement officers were responding to disturbance calls.

The Clearwater County Sheriff’s Office had one deputy assaulted, the Latah County Sheriff’s Office had six deputies assaulted, the Nez Perce County Sheriff’s Office had six deputies assaulted and the Lewiston Police Department had 22 officers assaulted.

No law enforcement officers in Idaho were killed in the line of duty.

Nez Perce County

Nez Perce County has the highest arrest rate in the state, with 5,744.91 arrests. The Nez Perce County Sheriff’s Office had the most arrests of sheriff offices in the state and among police departments, Lewiston Police Department was seventh. Last year, Nez Perce County was third in the state and the Nez Perce County Sheriff’s Office was second for sheriff offices.

Nez Perce County has the second-highest crime rate in the state, with 6,941.47 per 100,000 population of the total number of Group A offenses. The Lewiston Police Department had the sixth-highest crime rate for police departments and Nez Perce County had the ninth-highest crime rate for sheriff offices in the state. In 2021, the top five counties for Group A offenses were Clark, Adams, Bannock, Twin Falls and Payette counties.

Nez Perce County reported a 30.9% increase in total offenses, with 2,947 in 2022 compared to 2,252 in 2021. The arrest rate also increased to 14.7% from 2,126 in 2021 to 2,439 in 2022. The most common offense was larceny and theft with 699 reports.

Latah County

In Latah County, the overall number of offenses decreased by 14%, with 1,234 in 2021 and 1,061 in 2022. However, the Moscow Police Department reported a decrease of offenses by 20.6%. The crime rate for the county per 100,000 is 1,165.33.

The arrest total in Latah County decreased by 1.3%, with 716 arrests in 2021 and 707 in 2022. The most common offense in Latah County was 304 reports of larceny or theft.

Idaho County

Idaho County reported a 7,916.7% increase in offenses, but that number is because the Idaho County Sheriff’s Office and Grangeville Police Department didn’t report to the National Incident-Based Reporting System in 2021. In 2021, the Cottonwood Police Department was the only agency in Idaho County that reported offenses, with six in 2021 and four in 2022. Those numbers mean that the total number of offenses reported in Idaho County was six in 2021 compared to 481 in 2022 because more agencies in Idaho County reported their numbers.

The reporting also affected the arrest totals for Idaho County, with zero reported in 2021, and 425 for 2022. The crime rate per 100,000 in Idaho County is 546.54.

The most common crime for Idaho county was drug and narcotic violations and drug equipment violations, both at 151.

Clearwater County

Clearwater County also had a high increase in offenses from 2022 because of a lack of reporting from 2021. In 2022, the Orofino Police Department was the only agency in the county to report numbers in 2021. The number of offenses in the Orofino Police Department decreased by 18.4%. The arrest total for the police department also increased from 6 in 2021 to 20 in 2022, a 233.3% increase. The crime rate for the county based on a 100,000 population was 568.94.

The most common offense in Clearwater County for 2022 was 167 with destruction of property being the most common crime.

Lewis County

Lewis County had a 4.3% increase, from 93 offenses in 2021 to 97 in 2022. The arrest total also decreased by one: 48 in 2021 to 47 in 2022. Larceny and theft was the most common offense with 23 reports. The crime rate per 100,000 in Lewis County is 774.19.

Idaho State Police

Idaho State Police had a 2.8% decrease in offenses and the most common offense was drug and narcotic violations with 2,229 reports.

Data compilation

The Idaho State Police Bureau of Criminal Identification compiles the annual crime in Idaho report using the National Incident-Based Reporting System from data supplied by Idaho’s law enforcement agencies. Idaho State Police Uniform Crime Reporting data was released and used information from 107 law enforcement agencies representing 99.97% of the population of Idaho for its 2022 numbers. Statewide rates are calculated on an adjusted population base of 1,938,529 based on information from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The report is based on information provided by law enforcement agencies and doesn’t include any of the crimes reported by a coroner, prosecutor or the judicial branch.

Brewster may be contacted at kbrewster@lmtribune.com or at (208) 848-2297.