Seattle/ Crime & Emergencies
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Published on August 29, 2019
Crime going up in Seattle: What's the latest in the trend?Photo: iStock

The number of crime incidents in Seattle saw an overall increase last week, after a previous decline, according to data from SpotCrime, which collects reports from police agencies and validated sources. Incidents rose to 2,410 for the week of Aug. 19, up from 1,941 the week before.

The specific offenses that increased the most were theft and burglary. Theft rose to 330 incidents last week, from 287 the week before. Burglary went from 94 to 132.

While somewhat smaller categories, there was also a considerable percentage increase in robbery, from 19 incidents per week to 33, and in shootings, from one to three incidents.

There were 139 reported assault incidents last week. That represents an increase from 120 incidents the previous week.

Among the few types of offenses that saw a downturn last week, reports of vandalism went from 46 to 44.

There were 1,729 reports of "other" crimes, an increase of 355 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, 26 involved arrests, such as for drug possession, down from 27 reported arrests the week before.

Looking at crime patterns in different areas of the city, Capitol Hill, Central District and Central Business District had the most reported incidents last week. Capitol Hill was at the top of the list the previous week as well.

Central District experienced the highest growth in crime. Crime reports in Capitol Hill also rose, after declining the week before, and incidents in Northgate are up considerably as well.

Regarding when most crimes are committed, Friday, Tuesday and Saturday saw the most crime incidents last week. The largest increase from the previous week occurred on Monday, Tuesday and Friday, while incidents on Thursday and Sunday went down. Comparing times of day, late night, early morning and evening continue to see the most crime incidents.

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.