In addition, the latest figures from the City of Minneapolis indicate that serious crime in 1999 was 11 percent less than the 1998 total, meaning that 1999 will show the lowest crime rate of any year since 1975. The 1998 rate for these crimes per 100,000 residents was at about the same level as for the period 1975-78, before the crime rate started increasing in the county. Crime peaked in 1987, then held steady throughout the 1990s until 1998.
Public safety is a very important function of government.
We have been committed to making this county a safer place to live and work. I'm glad to see that the facts show that our efforts are bearing fruit. As in past years, property crimes comprised a large portion of Part I crime in 1998. One of the most encouraging trends is a decrease in the arrest rate of African American and white juveniles for violent crimes, the report stated. In Minneapolis alone, the estimated violent crime arrest rate per 1,000 for these groups doubled between 1989 and 1994, then dropped back to 1989 levels in 1998.