Lexington major crimes up 3.2% over last year, auto theft up 30.6%

In the first half of 2022, major crime in Lexington rose 3.2% over last year, according to a report released by the Lexington Police Department. At the end of June, 5,102 major crimes had been reported in the city for 2022. At the same point in 2021, only 4,947 major crimes had been reported.

While 2021 saw an overall drop in crime compared to 2020, at this point in 2020, only 4,799 major crimes had been reported, meaning crime in the first six months of the year has increased by about 3% in two consecutive years. Violent crimes are slightly up — there have been more murders and aggravated assaults, but fewer sexual assaults. Most property crimes remained fairly unchanged, with the exception of auto theft, which increased 30.6% from last year.

Crime	First 6 months of 2022	First 6 months of 2021
Murder	23	20
Forcible Rape	73	93
Robbery	111	134
Aggravated Assault	252	227
Breaking & Entering	594	572
Larceny – Theft	3,378	3392
Auto Theft	661	506
Arson	10	7
Total	5102	4951