St. Joseph Police Department reports decrease in violent crime, vehicle thefts in November

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) -- Crime statistics for the month of November show 13 of 18 major categories saw a reduction in cases according to the St. Joseph Police Department.

Crime statistics released by SJPD on Saturday show notable decreases for the month of November, with seven crime areas in particular decreasing by more than 25%.

St. Joseph recorded a 15% decrease in total crime cases and a 21% decrease in total violent crime, dropping from 140 cases in October down to 110 in November. Total crime cases dropped from 758 to 644.

Thefts from motor vehicles saw the biggest decrease of any area, from 41 cases to six, a decrease of 85%.

The department also reported sizable reductions in aggravated assaults (61% decrease), motor vehicle thefts (58%), stealing (39%) and property crime (30%), which decreased by nearly 100 incidents, from 300 to 209.

No murder cases were reported in November. The department also reported no murder cases the previous month.

Cases of burglary were one of the few categories to see a notable increase, rising from 57 cases in October to 64 in November, an increase of 12%.

Drug offenses were unchanged at 40 cases in both October and November. Disorderly conduct reports also increased by 3%.