FBI crime statistics released Monday show that aggravated assaults increased in 2013 in several Clark County cities, when compared to the previous year.
Vancouver saw a slight increase in aggravated assaults, while the crime about doubled inside the city limits of Woodland and Washougal. Aggravated assault refers to causing serious bodily harm to somebody or attempting to do so.
The stats also show that there were two murders last year in Vancouver, compared with the five that occurred in 2012. The number of robberies in the city went down about 15 percent — from 172 in 2012 to 146 last year, according to the FBI.
Among the smaller cities in Clark County, the biggest change was seen in Battle Ground, where violent crime was cut in half.
Reported property crime, the most prolific crime in Clark County, decreased by more than 8 percent in Vancouver. There were fewer burglaries, arsons and thefts, including motor vehicle thefts. Washougal and Battle Ground each saw a few more burglaries last year than in 2012.
Thefts examined
Ridgefield and Camas saw a slight uptick in theft, including motor vehicle theft. Woodland, which saw its estimated population decrease slightly, saw a 17 percent increase in thefts — from 159 in 2012 to 178 last year. Motor vehicle thefts and burglaries, however, went down.
Motor vehicle thefts more than doubled in Washougal from 19 in 2012 to 32 last year. The crime also went up slightly in Camas, but decreased everywhere else in the county.
Burglaries decreased nearly 27 percent in Camas, dipping from 90 in 2012 to 66 last year.
The FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program collects data on select violent crimes and property crimes that are reported to law enforcement agencies.
Nationally, every crime category saw decreases. Property crimes declined 4.1 across the country and violent crimes went down 4.4 percent.
