Crime in Black Hawk County Rose 29% Last Year – There’s a Reason

A stat no one wants to see rise year over year would be anything crime-related. Simply put, it's unsettling to hear the crime in Black Hawk County rose by almost 29% in 2021, compared to 2020. The new stats are available in the Black Hawk County Sherrif's Annual Report.

In the report, Sherrif Tony Thompson lays out the stats over the previous year and compares them to 2019 and 2020. The result is an overall increase in crimes - but he has a reason why.

Sherrif Thompson says the COIVD bounce-back is a large reason why crime increased

In a Courier story, Thompson says that 2021 was a "bounce-back" year, referencing the pandemic that caused more people to stay home in 2020. The increase was largely drug cases, which soared to 494 offenses in 2021, up from 295 in 2020.

For 2021 1,051 offenses were recorded In 2020, there were 816 offenses. Back in 2019, there were 596.

Get our free mobile app

Thompson credit his officer's work to keep roads safe as a reason why certain numbers were up. For example, OWI arrests increased in 2021 to 302, up from 214 in 2020. This also explains the additional drug arrests as motorists pulled over for traffic violations who were in possession of drugs or drug paraphernalia would be arrested.

The full report details the crimes committed over the previous three years. While 2021 did have increases in some spots, as you can see from the above graphic, there were also declines in certain categories. This again goes to Thompson's point that his officers placed an emphasis on roadways safety in 2021.

The full report can be seen here.