Fargo crime up slightly, due mostly to burglaries, theft

FARGO, N.D. (AP) - North Dakota’s largest city saw a 3% increase in crime in 2018.

KFGO radio says the report released Monday by Fargo police shows there were six homicides in the city last year, compared to two in 2017. Fargo Police Chief Dave Todd called it an “unusual” number.

Todd says most of the crime increase 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%.

Sexual assaults also were up 19% and aggravated assaults increased 15%.

Police made nearly 6,600 arrests in 2018, down 7% from 2017.

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Information from: KFGO-AM, http://www.kfgo.com