Crime increasing in Seattle: What's the latest in the trend?

Crime increasing in Seattle: What's the latest in the trend?Photo: iStock
Hoodline
Published on July 25, 2019

The number of crime incidents in Seattle saw an overall increase last week, for the second week in a row, according to data from SpotCrime, which collects data from police agencies and validated sources. Incidents rose to 1,878 for the week of July 15, up from 1,482 the week before.

The specific offenses that increased the most were assault and theft. Assault rose to 118 incidents last week, from 98 the week before. Theft went from 222 to 237.

While somewhat smaller categories, there was also a notable percentage increase in robbery, from 13 incidents per week to 16, and in burglary, from 74 to 80 incidents.

There was one reported shooting last week. That represents a steady state from the previous week.

Among the few types of offenses that saw a downturn last week, reports of vandalism went from 38 to 37.

There were 1,389 reports of "other" crimes, an increase of 353 from the previous week. SpotCrime's broad "other" category includes a variety of offenses like fraud, trespassing, public disturbance and traffic violations. Of those incidents, 13 involved arrests, such as for drug possession, down from 17 reported arrests the week before.

As far as where crime is concentrated in the city, Capitol Hill, Belltown and Central District had the most reported incidents last week. Capitol Hill was at the top of the list the previous week as well.

Capitol Hill saw the largest increase; incidents in the neighborhood have been rising for two weeks in a row. Crime reports in Belltown also rose for a second week, and incidents in Central District are up considerably as well.

Regarding day and time factors, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday had the most reported crimes last week. The largest increase from the previous week occurred on Thursday, Wednesday and Saturday, while incidents on Friday, Monday and Tuesday went down. Comparing times of day, late night, early morning and after midnight saw the most crime last week.

Want a longer-term view of crime in Seattle? Here's our latest monthly crime report.

To report a crime in progress or life-threatening emergency, call 911. To report a non-urgent crime or complaint, contact your local police department.

Head to SpotCrime to get free local crime alerts in your area.

This story was created automatically using local crime data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about our data sources and local crime methodology. Got thoughts about what we're doing? Go here to share your feedback.