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Arizona Crime Statistics [Updated]

Posted on November 5, 2019 in News

Unfortunately, crime is a fact of life many people face on a daily basis. Burglaries, thefts, assaults and even murder are incredibly common. According to recent data from the Arizona Department of Public Safety, criminal acts occur on a highly consistent basis in the state. Below, you will find the most recent data on crime in the state of Arizona.

Crime Commonality in Arizona:

  • One violent crime occurs every 18 minutes and 30 seconds.
  • One major crime occurs every 2 minutes and 28 seconds.
  • One property crime occurs every 2 minutes and 50 seconds.

Murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, and human trafficking are all considered violent crime.

2018 Crime Statistic Breakdown in Arizona:

Arizona Crime Statistics 2018

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Violent Crime Statistics

1 There were 28,522 violent crimes reported in 2018

2 Violent crimes accounted for 13.4% of the total Crime Index.

3 April had the highest amount of violent crimes with 2,701 offenses

4 December had the least amount of violent crimes with 2,082 offenses

5 The most incidents of violent crime were aggravated assault, with 18,452 reported offenses.

6 The value of property stolen was $2,972,653.

7 The crime rate was 407.3 offenses per 100,000 population.

8 There were 10,949 arrests for violent crimes in 2018, down 623 from last year.

1,104 Juveniles were arrested.

10  Males accounted for 79.9% of arrests compared to females who accounted for 20% of arrests.

Murder Statistics

11 There were 331 murders reported in 2018, 38 less than last year.

12 Murder accounted for 15% of all offenses and 1% of total violent crimes.

13 January saw the highest number of murders with 39, while September recorded the lowest with 14.

14 Sundays had the highest amount of murders with 68, while Wednesday had the lowest with 37 murders on average.

15 Most murders happened between the hours of 06:01 PM and 02:00 AM with 132 murders reported.

16 The least amount of murders happened between 02:01 AM and 10:00 AM with a total of 88 murders.

17 Firearms (including handguns, rifles, shotguns, etc.) were used in 64% of the murders.

18 274 people were arrested for murder in Arizona in 2018, up 48 compared to last year.

19 15 Juveniles were arrested for murder.

20 71%% of those arrested were male and 12% were female.

21 Of those arrested 68% were white, while 35% were Hispanic.

 

Rape Statistics

Rape is defined as any penetration of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim. Rape of a minor, otherwise known as statutory rape, is not included in this data.

22 There were 3,201 rapes reported during 2018.

23 Rape accounted for 11% of violent crimes committed in Arizona.

24 January had the highest number of rapes reported with 312, while December had the least with 210.

25 324 people were arrested for rape in 2018.

26 65 of those arrests were Juveniles.

Robbery Statistics

27 There were 6,480 robberies reported in 2018.

28 Robbery made up 22% of violent crimes.

29 January had the highest number of robberies with 608, while June had the least robberies reported with 475.

30 Robberies occurring on highways (streets, alleys, and sidewalks) recorded the highest number, with 2,015 or 28% of all robberies.

31 Bank robberies had the lowest number, with 123, or 1.9% of all robberies.

32 The total value of property stolen amounted to $2,937,999.

33 Firearms represented the most common weapon used in 2,654 robberies or 41%.

Aggravated Assault Statistics

Aggravated assault is defined as one person attacking another with the intention of inflicting severe bodily injury. This type of assault usually is accompanied by the use of a weapon or by other means likely to cause fatal injury or great bodily harm.

34 There were 18,452 aggravated assaults reported in 2018.

35 Aggravated assault accounted for 64.7% of total violent crimes.

36 April had the highest amount of reported aggravated assaults corded with 1,811, while December had the lowest with 1,270.

37 Physical weapons (hands, fists, feet) were used in 30% of aggravated assaults and firearms were used in 28%.

Burglary Statistics

38 There were 29,986 burglaries reported in 2018.

39 Burglary accounted for 16% of property crimes throughout the state.

40 Forcible entry was used in 16,404, or 54% percent of the total burglaries

41 Residential burglaries accounted for 20,529 or 68% percent of the total burglaries.

42 In burglaries where the time of occurrence was known, 24,141 or 40.2% occurred between the hours of 06:00 AM and 06:00 PM.

Car Theft Statistics

43 There were 18,026 car thefts reported during 2018

44 Car theft made up 9.7% of total property crimes.

45 January recorded the highest number with 1,594, while December recorded the lowest with 1,365.

46 A total of 1,659 people were arrested in 2018 for car theft.

47 326 Juveniles were arrested for car theft in 2018.

48 Males accounted for 78.6% of arrests, while females made up  and females 23.7% of car theft arrests.


49 Locally stolen vehicles were recovered 93% of the time.

Arson Statistics

50 There were 1,534 arson crimes reported in 2018.

51 Arson accounts for less than 1% of all property crimes in Arizona.

52 March had the highest number of reports with 215, while September and October recorded the lowest with 52.

53 Structural arson accounted for 896 offenses or 58% of arson crimes in 2018, that’s a 20% increase from 2017.

54 Motor vehicle arson was the most common form of arson, with 164 cases.

55 The total estimated value of property damage amounted to $8,884,613.

56 Of the reported crimes, 391 people were arrested.

57 23 Juveniles were arrested for arson in 2018.

Human Trafficking Statistics

58 There were 58 human trafficking cases reported in 2018, that’s a decrease from 2017 which had 99 reported cases. 

59 October recorded the highest number with 18, while February recorded the lowest with 3.

60 Of the total human trafficking cases reported, commercial sex acts* accounted for 92 offenses and involuntary servitude** accounted for 7 offenses.

61 A total of 186 people were arrested in 2017.

62 Adults accounted for 186 arrests and juveniles accounted for 63 arrests.

* Commercial Sex Acts are defined as “Inducing a person by force, fraud, or coercion to participate in commercial sex acts, or in which the person induced to perform such act(s) has not attained 18 years of age.”
** Involuntary Servitude is defined “The obtaining of a person(s) through recruitment, harboring, transportation, or provision, and subjecting such people by force, fraud, or coercion into involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery (not to include commercial sex acts).”

Law Enforcement Officers Killed or Assaulted

63 There was a total of 2,344 police officers assaulted statewide in 2018.

64 Personal weapons, such as hands, fists, and feet, were used in 1,659 assaults or 71.0%.

65 The highest number of assaults, 673, or 28.8%, occurred when officers were responding to disturbance calls.

(officer assaulted or killed by county chart)

Arizona State Arrest Data

66 There were 257,062 total arrests reported in 2017.

67 The highest number of arrests were related to driving under the influence. DUI offenses made up 8.8% of the total, with 22,675 cases.

68 Adults were arrested 230,764 times, or 72.6%, and juvenile arrests were 26,298 or 10.2%.

69 72.6% of arrests were male, 27.4% were female.

70 Adults between the ages of 25 to 29 recorded the highest number of arrests, with 45,555. This age group made up 19.7% of total adult arrests.

If you or someone you love has been charged with a crime in Arizona, please contact our Phoenix Criminal Defense Attorneys at AZ Defenders. Our dedicated criminal lawyers have decades of expertise to help you through your case and protect you from conviction.