The rate of murders went up 6.7%, aggravated assaults were up by 4% while the rate of law enforcement officers assaulted was up 20% in 2019, according to a report released Monday by the SC Law Enforcement Division.
“I am extremely concerned by the increasing amount of violence in our state including the number of murders, assaults and violent attacks on law enforcement officers,” said SLED Chief Mark Keel. “I’m concerned that these numbers may go even higher due to the many stresses we have faced so far in 2020.”
The 2019 Uniform Crime Report showed the rate of violent crimes increased by less than 1% compared to 2018. Property crimes dropped 5.3% in 2019 when compared to the previous year. It is the 5th consecutive year the number of property crimes declined.
“I am pleased to see a steady decline in the rate of property crimes including burglary and arson,” Keel said. “We’re also encouraged to see the rates for robbery and sexual battery drop as well.”
The data compiled for the SLED report come from sheriff’s departments and police departments across the state.
“We thank the sheriffs, chiefs of police, their officers and staff who protect our communities and provide the data for this report,” said Keel.
The full crime report is available on SLED’s website at www.sled.sc.gov .