More than 1 million cars were stolen in the United States in 2022, according to new crime statistics released by the FBI on Monday.
An increase in both carjackings and motor vehicle theft have contributed to the problem, and an estimated 70,000 people were arrested for stealing cars in 2022. At the time of their arrest, 2,000 were armed, according to the FBI’s report.
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Carjackings, which are separate from motor vehicle thefts in the report, saw an increase of 8.1% between 2021 and 2022, and motor vehicle thefts increased by 10.9% during the same period.
The new report also noted a decrease in violent crime between 2021 and 2022, which included a drop of 6% in homicides. Aggravated assaults decreased by 1.7% in 2022, and rape decreased by 5.4%, according to the data. Firearms were the most common weapon for violent crimes, with 80.3% of homicide and manslaughter charges being carried out with guns.
Property crimes were also up 7.1% in 2022, and larceny was up 7.8%. Property crime on college campuses was also up, surging by 35.4%. There were 6.5 million reports of property crime nationwide last year, according to the FBI.
The statistics are part of an annual report that is released every October, which shows the biggest trends in crime rates nationally. Hate crime statistics saw a slight increase, with bias against race/ethnicity/ancestry, religion, and sexual orientation being the highest. Black people, Jewish people, and gay men were the biggest targets within those categories.
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The new numbers come after a separate report noted that total crime in Washington, D.C., is up 28% from this time last year. The district saw an increase in carjackings of 103% in 2022, which has continued to rise in 2023, and even lawmakers have been victims. Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) was carjacked at gunpoint in the district earlier this month.
Nearly 15,000 police agencies around the country contributed to the data in Monday’s report.
