Murder and violent crime in Washington State saw reductions in 2024, a year which saw a modest increase in the number of active concealed pistol licenses.
According to the annual crime report from the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC), last year saw 312 murders, down 18.8 percent from the 384 slayings posted in 2023.
Violent Crimes declined 7.6 percent with 29,036 offenses reported, compared to 31,441 offenses reported in 2023, the WASPC report said.
Meanwhile, according to data from the state Department of Licensing (DOL), the number of CPLs went from 693,188 reported at the end of 2023 to 699,140 at the end of December 2024. During the first six months of this year, more than 10,000 additional CPLs have been added to the rolls, according to DOL data showing June ended with 709,334 active licenses.
One thing always missing from the WASPC annual report is whether people arrested for murder involving firearms, or violent crime involving guns, are licensed to carry, and whether they legally possessed the gun.
Other highlights of the WASPC report include:
- In 2024, there were 198 agencies that reported two consecutive years of NIBRS data. Of these agencies, there were 446,544 Group A offenses reported in 2024; compared to 488,787 Group A offenses reported in 2023. This resulted in a decrease of 8.6% in Group A offenses reported.
o In 2024, Crimes Against Persons showed a decrease of 0.8% with 110,065 offenses reported; compared to 110,989 offenses reported in 2023.
o In 2024, Crimes Against Property showed a decrease of 13.4% with 308,506 offenses reported; compared to 356,438 offenses reported in 2023.
o In 2024, Crimes Against Society showed an increase of 31.0% with 27,973 offenses reported; compared to 21,360 offenses reported in 2023.
- In the category of Crimes Against Property, the three offense types with the highest percentage are Larceny-Theft with 44.6%, Destruction of Property with 21.4%, and Motor Vehicle Theft with 11.0%.
- Group A offenses were cleared by arrest or exceptional means 26.0% of the time. • The crime rate (per 1,000 in population) for Group A offenses was 56.21.
- The total arrest rate per 1,000 in population was 19.4.
- Juveniles comprised 5.6% of the total arrests.
- Domestic Violence offenses made up 49.5% of all Crimes Against Persons and 5.2% of all Crimes Against Property.
- A total of 24,764 persons were arrested for DUI, including 182 juveniles
This report also appeared in TheGunMag.com.
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