Shots fired, other violent crime, down in Cedar Rapids in 2023

CEDAR RAPIDS — The city of Cedar Rapids saw a noticeable decrease in shots-fired incidents and other violent crime in 2023, according to the Cedar Rapids Police Department’s annual crime statistics.

Police attribute the decrease to some arrests made early in the year and the city’s Group Violence Intervention Program.

“We made some timely arrests and contacts in the spring and in the summer and were able to get some people arrested and charged, and that took some people off the street that were more readily going to use a firearm to solve a problem,” Interim Police Chief Tom Jonker said. “That set the tone, and we continued to stay vigilant through the summer and into the fall.”

Shots-fired incidents have been consistently decreasing in Cedar Rapids since they spiked in 2020 — jumping to 163 reports from 99 in 2019.

In 2023, 81 shots-fired incidents were reported in the city, the first year the total has dropped below pre-pandemic levels. (See chart.) It’s also about 35 percent less than the five-year average of 124.

Jonker said an emphasis on gun crime will continue as one of the department’s main focuses in 2024.

“We’re just going to keep up the pressure there to make sure that we’re limiting the illegal use of firearms, and hopefully that will reflect itself in the shots-fired incidents,” he said.

Violent crime

Violent crime — murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault — dropped to 435 reports in the city in 2023, down from 465 in 2022, but still above the 2018 and 2019 totals, which were 281 and 283, respectively.

Police investigated eight murders and cases of “non-negligent manslaughter” in 2023. All those cases have been fully investigated, with no outstanding suspects or evidence, police said. The total compares to 10 reports in 2022; the five-year average is 8.

The city of Cedar Rapids has been working to reduce violent crime through its Group Violence Intervention Program since 2019. The program involves police and other community members working with people in the community who may be at high risk of being a victim or a perpetrator of violent crime.

Jonker said there’s no convenient metric for measuring whether the program has been successful since many factors cause violence, but the annual statistics are encouraging.

“It’s doing what it’s supposed to be doing,” Jonker said. “They’re reaching out to people. They’re reaching out quickly to people, and they’re getting some engagement from the community, which absolutely is what we need to help keep those crimes down.”

Within the violent crime category, only two types of crimes increased in 2023, and both were likely because of changes in reporting, according to police.

“Domestic abuse is hard. You’re not in the house. You’re not in the apartment. You’re not at the location. That’s a crime that is hard to prevent,” Jonker said. “We can work on the backside of it, trying to get the victim away from the suspect, but that’s not one that’s easily tied to something that we are doing. … The victim has to report it.”

Shoplifting, drugs up

Other crimes that saw increases in 2023 included shoplifting and drug-related reports, especially controlled substance violations.

Police reported 1,236 cases of shoplifting in 2023, which is 30 percent higher than the five-year average of 953. The total compares to 1,055 reports in 2022 and 777 reports in 2021.

Jonker said the police department has been working with businesses in the city to help deter and prevent shoplifting, and most shoplifting cases are solved very quickly.

“Video is our best friend. We get every day an email saying, ‘Does anybody know who this is?’ and between officers and jail deputy staff … they’re usually resolved quite quickly,” Jonker said.

Drug-related crimes increased from 1,153 reports in 2022 to 1,406 in 2023. Jonker said he believes the increase is a result of increased diligence by police officers during traffic stops and other investigations.

“You don’t get a drug-related crime reported ‘just because,’ ” he said. ”It’s because an officer is making a stop, going beyond the stop and finding drugs.“

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