Crime & Safety
FBI: Mercer Island Sees Significant Crime Drop in 2012
The FBI's Uniform Crime Reports indicate Mercer Island has one of the lowest crime rates in the state.
Despite recent anxiety over dozens of home break-ins, FBI crime statistics for 2012 indicate Mercer Island is one of the safest places in the state.
Mercer Island police reported 335 property crimes in 2012, a big drop from 407 in 2011, according to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports. And just 11 violent crimes were reported in 2012, the same number of violent crimes reported in 2011. In 2012, Mercer Island had a violent crime rate of 0.47 known offenses per 1,000 residents and a property crime rate of 14.3 known offenses per 1,000 people.
The numbers were released this week by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which reported a nationwide increase of violent crimes and a decrease of property crimes after compiling crime data from 18,000 jurisdictions in 50 states.
The FBI's Uniform Crime Reports also included the number of police officers in the nation’s police departments. Mercer Island has 1.3 sworn officers for every 1,000 residents.
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