There were fewer crimes overall in Utah last year, although the number of sexual assaults increased for the fifth year in a row, according to a law enforcement report.
The Utah Bureau of Criminal Identification last week published the annual Crime in Utah report documenting crimes committed in 2018.
The report that uses data from local law enforcement agencies says 80,622 index crimes were committed in 2018, a nearly 12% decrease from 2017. Index crimes include eight offenses used by the Federal Bureau of Investigation to produce its annual index of national crime.
The number of Utah rapes reported in 2018 increased by 4.5% over 2017. Hate crimes also increased by almost 50%, from 35 reports in 2017 to 52 in 2018, the report said.
Burglary, motor vehicle thefts, arson, and larceny decreased by an average of 13%. Robberies fell by 17%, and homicides decreased by 8%, the report said.
The report noted firearms were used in 40% of homicides, with 16% of deaths involving family relationships and 84% among acquaintances, strangers or those linked by a significant relationship.
More than 111,830 people were arrested by authorities in 2018, which is lower than the total number of those arrested in the past five years, the report said.
The bureau reported there were 4,633 law enforcement officers in Utah as of October 2018, including 4,276 men and 357 women.