Mercer Island Crime Remained Low In 2016: FBI Stats

MERCER ISLAND, WA - The FBI released its annual report on crime in the U.S. on Monday. The statistics show that violent crime is on the rise nationally while property crimes decreased for the 14th year in a row. The FBI's Crime In the U.S. (CIUS) report is based on data sent by local police departments.

The national trends seen in the 2016 CIUS don't necessarily match at the local level. In many Puget Sound communities, property crime is on the increase, as is violent crime.

According to the statistics, Mercer Island maintains a very low level of crime. Property crimes decreased overall, although there was one more violent crime incident in 2016 compared to 2015. For its size (about 25,000), Mercer Island's violent crime rate is low. For example, the city of Camas in southwestern Washington has a population of about 22,000, but had almost triple the number of violent crimes (15).

In the tables below, you can check how crime changed in your city between 2015 and 2016. Note that there are two definitions of rape used by local departments.

Bellevue

Bonney Lake

Edmonds

Enumclaw

Gig Harbor

Issaquah

Kirkland

Lake Forest Park

Lakewood

Mercer Island

Puyallup

Redmond

Renton

Sammamish

Seattle

Shoreline

Spokane

Sumner

University Place

Woodinville

* These figures use the FBI's old definition of rape. The FBI in 2013 expanded the definition of rape to include different types of sexual violence against both genders. You can read the full updated definition here.

Image via Mercer Island police