Albert Lea police report serious crimes down in 2022; vandalism, drug violations increase

(ABC 6 News) – The Albert Lea Police Department announced on Monday that local crime in 2022 dropped to the lowest rate in 5 years, based on a statewide crime reporting system.

The most serious types of crimes including assault and larceny theft decreased by 27.8%, from 485 offenses in 2021 to 352 in 2022.

However, the number of less serious crimes did increase by 9.5% from 693 offenses total in 2021 to 766 in 2022. These types of crime include vandalism and drug violations.

Despite the increase in less serious offenses, the overall crime rate decreased with total offenses dropping by 5.1%, from 1,178 to 1,118, because of the significant decrease in more serious offenses.

“I’m pleased to see both the number of serious crimes and the overall total number of offenses decline. Our community’s investment in recruiting, training and developing our police force is paying off,” said JD Carlson, director of public safety. “We’re also fortunate to have a community where residents look out for each other. Overall, Albert Lea remains a very safe community.”

Vandalism remains the most-reported crime in Albert Lea, according to Carlson.

Drug abuse plays a major role in many crimes, including domestic assault, burglary and theft. The Albert Lea Public Safety Department works with many partners to prevent drug abuse and offer treatment for offenders.

The table below shows the total numbers of offenses reported in Albert Lea and the difference from the previous year.

Year	Total number of offenses	Difference from previous year
2022	1,118	5.1% lower
2021	1,178	4.7% lower
2020	1,236	0.6% higher
2019	1,229	9.7% higher
2018	1,120	4.9% higher

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