FARGO, N.D. (KFGO) – Fargo saw a 3% increase in crime in 2018. Homicides tripled according to the police department’s annual report presented to city commissioners Monday night.
Police Chief Dave Todd says there were six homicides, which he calls “unusual” for Fargo. All have been cleared, by arrest or solved. One was in self defense. Several of the cases are still going through prosecution.
Chief Todd says most of the crime increase last year was related to burglaries and theft, a significant amount of which was the result of addicts stealing to get money for methamphetamine and opioid drugs. Burglaries jumped 19 percent.
According to the report, sexual assaults also were up 19-percent. 118 were reported last year. Aggravated assaults increased 15-percent, to 687.
Traffic citations were down 10-percent from 2017, at just over 12,300. Chief Todd says that’s attributed to moving a half dozen officers assigned to traffic patrol back to regular patrol duty to handle calls of service which remained high, at more than 89,000.
Police made nearly 6600 arrests in 2018, down 7-percent from 2017.