Crime in Washington (state)
Crime rates in the state of Washington grew rapidly to large levels from 1960 to 1980, however slowed in growth from 1980 onward. Although the cause of this drop in crime growth from the 1980s cannot be directly determined, it was believed to have been a result from several law enforcement initiatives & policies implemented throughout the state of Washington and across the United States, such as abortion access.
| Washington | |
|---|---|
| Crime rates* (2018) | |
| Violent crimes | |
| Rape | 45.3 |
| Robbery | 73.9 |
| Aggravated assault | 189.1 |
| Total violent crime | 311.5 |
| Property crimes | |
| Burglary | 533.5 |
| Larceny-theft | 2045.4 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 367.3 |
| Total property crime | 2946.2 |
Notes *Number of reported crimes per 100,000 population. Source: FBI UCS Annual Crime Reports 2018 | |
In 2013, the state of Washington was ranked 30th for the states with the highest level of violent crime levels across the United States. In 2016, the city of Seattle reported the highest level of violent crime across all cities in the state of Washington. The city of Tacoma was the next city with the highest level of violent crime.
In response to crime throughout Washington, several programs, strategies, Legislature and Acts have been implemented to reduce the levels of crime as well as prevent crime from occurring.