Mayor Keller, APD Release Year-End Crime Statistics

December 27, 2018

Mayor Tim Keller and APD Chief Mike Geier released year-end crime statistics for 2018 that show the first decrease in overall crime in nearly a decade, as property and violent crime continue to trend downward.

The statistics are compiled with the same methodology that the previous administration used and include a year-to-year comparison for the same time period.

While APD increased enforcement throughout the department, specialized units targeted two areas of crime that skyrocketed during previous years: auto theft and robbery.

As a result, reports of robbery decreased by more than a third, or 36% over the previous year. Reports of auto theft also decreased by about a third, or 31% over the same period in 2017. Albuquerque received negative attention in national rankings last year for high rates of auto theft and robbery.

“Now, Albuquerque will be known for facing our problems head-on as we attack crime from all sides, invest in officers, and change the culture at APD so we can make neighborhoods safe,” Mayor Tim Keller said. “As we continue to work on bringing on 100 new, qualified officers, we are also developing a new approach to tackle gun violence, which is still unacceptably high.”

While homicides are down 10% from a year ago, most offenders used firearms. Of the 65 homicides this year, 45 offenders – or 69% -- used firearms. Non-fatal shootings also increased by 4% this year.

“We are going to target gun violence in 2019 with the same focus that we used to target auto theft and robbery this year,” Chief Mike Geier said. “We are adding resources, investing in new technology, and working with communities to keep guns out of the hands of criminals. We know we have a long road ahead, but we’re going to try some new strategic approaches.”

The following statistics represent enforcement activities and crime through 2018, as compared to the same period in 2017. The presentation is also on APD’s web site.

                                             2017               2018             % Change

ENFORCEMENT

Traffic Stops                          32,739            42,933    __     +31%

CRIME

Auto Burglary                        12,999            9,218        _     -29%

Auto Theft                              7,692              5,341              -31%

Commercial Burglary     _     2,298         _    1,918       __    -17%

Residential Burglary        _    4,704              3,847           _   -18%

VIOLENT CRIME

Homicide                           __    72                    65                 -10%

Rape                                   _   473                 461           _      -3%

Robbery                                 2,930              1,887          _    -36%

Aggravated Assault          _   4,213              3,885      __        -8%

Non-Fatal Shootings        ___   470                 491                 +4%