ST. PAUL, Minn. – Violent crime surged nearly 17% across Minnesota last year, including a record number of murders.
The annual Uniform Crime Report from the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension covers a year marked by unrest over the death of George Floyd, staffing and morale problems within the police department in Minneapolis and the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused a surge in unemployment and other stresses on society.
Minnesota recorded 185 murders in 2020, up 58% from 117 in 2019. That broke the record of 183 set in 1995.
Republicans have seized on the data to portray Democrats as weak on crime.
