Arlington’s Crime Rate Increased in 2013

Arlington County police logoArlington County’s crime rate increased last year over 2012, but rapes and burglaries decreased and there were no reported murders.

The crime rate increased 3.06 percent, according to a press release issued by County Manager Barbara Donnellan and Arlington Police Chief Doug Scott this afternoon. An uptick in aggravated assaults, robberies and larcenies accounted for the overall crime rate jump.

There were 4,209 Part I offenses — murders, rapes, burglaries, robberies aggravated assaults and larcenies — in 2013, up from 4,084 in 2012. Aggravated assaults increased 33 percent from 2012, police said, due to the increased frequency of domestic strangulation reports. The increase coincided with a new Virginia law, passed in 2012, that made strangulation a Part I offense.

“My continued gratitude to the dedicated men and women who keep our community safe through both prevention and enforcement efforts,” Donnellan said in the press release. “Their commitment to — and partnership with — our community is critical to our success.”

Despite the increase, the 2014 crime rate remained below the peak crime rate, in recent years, of 2010, when there were 4,771 Part I offenses in the county.

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