Salem’s violent crime rate hit 15-year-high in 2024, report shows, as property crime declined

Salem in 2024 saw its highest violent crime rate in 15 years, driven largely by a recent spike in sexual and aggravated assaults, according to recently released data from the Salem Police Department.

Meantime, the city last year saw the lowest rate of property crimes reported in 15 years, which drives down the overall crime rate. The drop-off comes as the police department in recent years has pulled officers away from investigating such crimes to deal with rising shootings and fatal crashes.

There were 960 violent crimes reported in 2024, according to Salem police’s 15-year crime report. 

That’s nearly double the number in 2010, when there were 492 reports of homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault. Meanwhile, the city’s population has only grown about 14.5%.

The city’s violent crime rate has been steadily climbing for 15 years, from about 317 crimes per 100,000 residents in 2010 to 541 per 100,000 residents last year.

READ IT: Salem Crime Statistics – 15 Years in Review

Last year, Salem recorded nine homicides, tied with 2021 for a 15-year high. That’s up from eight in 2023 and one in 2010.

Homicide numbers fluctuate year to year, with the city recording between three and seven for most of the past 15 years until 2021.

Some numbers from last year’s crime report have since changed. Reasons for the changes include late crime reports, reclassified cases – such as a shooting later determined to be accidental – or expungements of earlier charges, according to the report.

The FBI also expanded its definition of rape in crime data to include other forms of sexual assault, but police agencies in Oregon didn’t start doing the same until last year. The new Salem report said it uses the expanded definition for 2017 and beyond.

In 2024, Salem police recorded 70 reports of rape, a 15-year high. That’s compared with 49 last year and 45 in 2010.

Until last year, the highest number of rapes reported was 60, in both 2022 and 2018. 

There were 720 aggravated assaults reported last year, the most in 15 years. That’s compared with 594 in 2023 and 323 in 2010.

Previously, the highest number of aggravated assaults was 650 reported in 2022.

Of the types of violent crimes listed, only robberies declined from 188 in 2023 to 161 last year. There were 123 robberies reported in 2010.

The data comes about a year after the start of what Salem-area leaders are calling the Community Violence Reduction Initiative, a collective effort by law enforcement, community organizations and service providers to reduce deadly violence in the city.

Salem sees significantly more property crimes than violent crime, which has driven the overall crime rate down despite rising violence. Rates only include crimes reported to police.

“It is impossible to know how much crime goes unreported,” Salem police spokeswoman Angela Hedrick said in an email.

City data shows the highest rate of property crimes reported over the last 15 years was in 2017, when there were 4,871 per 100,000 Salem residents. The rate has since declined, dropping sharply in the last two years.

The rate last year was about 3,096 per 100,000 residents, a 15-year-low.

The rate takes into account growth in the city’s population, which has grown from around 155,100 in 2010 to 177,567 last year, instead of the total count of reports.

The rate was 3,587 per 100,000 residents in 2023, and 3,990 per 100,000 residents in 2010. 

RELATED COVERAGE:

Salem’s violent crime dipped, homicides at 15-year high in 2023

Salem’s violent crime rate has been climbing for 15 years, police data shows

Contact reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian: [email protected] or 503-929-3053.

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