News

Fewer crimes committed in Bottineau County in 2012

Scott Wagar

08/06/2013

Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem released North Dakota’s crime statistics for 2012. The annual Crime Report is compiled from information reported by local law enforcement agencies across the state.

“It is a concern that crime is up in nearly every category. Although the number of crimes is up, so is the state’s population. It’s important to note that nine out of every ten crimes reported were property crimes, such as theft from a motor vehicle and shoplifting. At less than ten percent of all crimes, North Dakota’s violent crime rate remains among the lowest in the nation,” said Stenehjem.

Total crime index offenses increased by 7.9 percent with 14,866 offenses reported by local law enforcement, compared to 13,778 reported in 2011. Crime index offenses include the violent crimes of murder/non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, aggravated assault and property crimes such as burglary, theft, shoplifting and motor vehicle theft.

  •  Violent crimes comprise just 9.8 percent of the total index crimes reported in North Dakota, a rate that has remained fairly steady for the past five years.
  •  The state’s crime rate of 2124.8 per 100,000 population is one of the lowest in the nation. When adjusted for the temporary population in the oil-producing counties, the state’s crime rate drops to 2055.0 per 100,000 population.
  •  Violent crimes increased by 7.2 percent, from 1,353 in 2011 to 1,451 in 2012. More than one-half of all violent crimes were reported as cleared by arrest or exceptional means.
  •  Reports of aggravated assault increased by 3.0 percent, the lowest rate of increase in the past nine years. There were 1,071 reports of aggravated assault in 2012, compared to 1,040 in 2011. By definition, aggravated assault involves serious bodily injury to the victim or offender uses or displays a weapon in a threatening manner.
  •  The number of aggravated assaults reported in the oil field counties increased by just one percent, from 280 in 2011 to 282 in 2012.

There were 20 murders in 2012, up from 15 in 2011. North Dakota’s low rate of homicides and relatively small population can result in significant fluctuations from year to year. Homicide comprises only 0.1 percent of crime index offenses. Viewed over the past 20 years, the state has averaged about 11.5 homicides a year. In 2012, 14 victims were male. Six homicides were as a result of domestic violence incidents; of those incidents, one of the victims was a child.

Property crime, which includes burglary, larceny/theft and motor vehicle theft, accounted for 90.2 percent of crime index offenses. The number of property crimes increased by eight percent in 2012, with 13,415 reported in 2012 compared to 12,425 in 2011. More than $22.2 million worth of property was reported stolen in 2012.

  •  Motor vehicle thefts increased by 20.7 percent, from 854 in 2011, to 1,031 in 2012. The average value per motor vehicle theft increased from $8,114 in 2011 to $8,382 in 2012.
  •  Burglaries decreased by 1.2 percent, from 2,227 in 2011 to 2,200 in 2012. More than 47 percent of burglaries involved forcible entry. More than $3.4 million worth of property was reported stolen in burglary incidents in 2012.

The state also tracks and reports drug and alcohol offenses, which are not crime index offenses. There were 7,322 DUI arrests in 2012, compared to 6,600 arrests in 2011, an increase of 10.9 percent. DUI arrests account for over one-fourth (27 percent) of all adults arrested in 2012.

Juveniles accounted for 17 percent of total arrests and 24.8 percent of crime index offense arrests.

BOTTINEAU COUNTY

In Bottineau County, the total number of arrests by reporting jurisdiction in 2012 was down when compared to 2011. However the crimes in 2012 consisted of many different categories and were more serious in nature.

According to the Bottineau County Sheriff Department in the state document, Bottineau County had 98 arrests in 2012 in the following categories:

  •  Murder/Non-Negligent Manslaughter – 1
  •  Aggravated – 2
  •  Burglary – 3
  •  Larceny/Theft – 10
  •  Motor Vehicle Theft – 1
  •  Other Assaults – 1
  •  Weapons Offenses – 1
  •  Drug Abuse Violation – 1
  •  Offense Against Family and Children – 2
  •  DUI – 32
  •  Liquor Law Violation – 37
  •  Disorderly Conduct – 1
  •  All other offenses – 5

In 2011, Bottineau County had 108 arrests the following categories:

  •  Burglary – 4
  •  Larceny/Theft – 1
  •  Drug Abuse Violations - 3
  •  Liquor Law Violations – 99
  •  All Other Offenses – 1

When it came to population and the number of police officers employed by Bottineau County, in 2011 the county population was 6,537 and there were eight officers. In 2012, the population for the county was 6,591 with 10 officers.