Weapons-related crimes decline in Cedar Rapids in 2022

CEDAR RAPIDS — Decreases in the number of violent crimes and weapon-related crimes reported in 2022 have Cedar Rapids police optimistic going into the new year.

Weapons-related crimes

There were 88 weapons-related crimes in 2022, which is down from 116 in 2021, and 188 in 2020, according to the Cedar Rapids Police Department’s annual crime statistics.

Shots-fired calls went down slightly, from 123 in 2021 to 120 in 2022, with the numbers decreasing more toward the end of the year.

“That significant decline leads me to be optimistic and hopeful that we can carry that trend,” Cedar Rapids Police Chief Wayne Jerman said. “Because of those levels, I am optimistic, along with the fact that our outreach and community based program, GVI (Group Violence Intervention), is continuing to bear fruit.”

Group violence intervention is a strategy that brings police together with community members and social service providers to reach those who are most at risk for being involved in violence before violence occurs.

Guns in vehicles

Jerman said he continues to be concerned about the number of guns stolen from vehicles.

In 2022, 679 thefts were reported from vehicles, a 28 percent increase from the 530 thefts reported in 2021. The 2022 thefts included 58 guns.

Jerman said he doesn’t want to blame those who are victims of theft, but he said he wishes people wouldn’t leave firearms in their vehicles.

“There’s 58 guns now that are on the street that if the gun owner was more responsible in handling that gun, those 58 wouldn’t be out on the street.

“I just continue to be very, very disappointed and concerned at the level of irresponsibility of individuals who … carry a firearm, that they are that cavalier and irresponsible in leaving it in a car, and an unlocked car oftentimes,” Jerman said.

Violent crimes

Violent crimes in general decreased slightly in 2022, with 460 reports compared to 467 reports in 2021.

Violent crimes include aggravated assaults, robbery, forcible rape, murder and manslaughter.

Domestic abuse cases, which are recorded as aggravated assaults, declined from 132 reports in 2021 to 121 reports in 2022, but are still high compared to the previous four years, when the totals were below 100.

Jerman said it can be hard to determine whether a decrease in domestic abuse reports is because fewer assaults are committed or because fewer people are reporting assaults.

He said he believes more domestic abuse survivors are willing to report abuse to police because of the Lethality Assessment Program, introduced to the department in 2016, which trains officers to ask a series of questions of abuse survivors to determine their level of risk and make victims feel more comfortable.

Property crimes

Property crimes, including various forms of theft and burglary, increased from 3,926 reports in 2021 to 4,254 reports in 2022.

Jerman says this jump may be related to inflation, with people unable to afford things they want, and the lifting of restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We're no longer in the lockdown mode that we used to be, and during those times the majority of people worked from home,” he said. “So, burglaries declined sharply during that time.

“Now that those restrictions have lessened, I think there's more people out and about, and there's more of an opportunity that's being presented to steal things,” Jerman said.

Catalytic converter thefts, unlike other property crimes, didn’t increase. There was a large jump in 2021 in thefts of catalytic converters from cars, but that trend did not continue in 2022, Jerman said.

According to the department’s stats, 278 thefts of motor vehicle parts or accessories were reporting in 2021 and 157 thefts were reported in 2022.

“It’s hard to say why (that number decreased). Are the thieves that were primarily responsible in jail, incarcerated for some other offenses? Maybe. I’d like to think so,” Jerman said.

“But there’s other jurisdictions that are experiencing thefts of catalytic converters, we’re just not one of them right now. So, I’m feeling fortunate about that.”

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