By ROD ZOOK
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Whether it was better policing, the pandemic, or a combination of both, the crime rate in Reno County fell sharply in 2020 compared to the previous year.
According to statistics released Friday by the KBI, there were a total of 94 violent crimes in Reno County compared with 193 in 2019. The county went without a homicide in 2020 and rapes fell from 29 in 2019 to 10 in 2020. Property crimes also fell as theft cases dropped from 1,151 in 2019 to 478 and burglaries fell from 322 to 105.
Motor vehicle thefts also dropped from 83 cases in 2019 to 31 this past year. The overall crime rate per 1,000 citizens fell to 12 from nearly 30 per 1,000 residents in 2019.
Not all of the numbers were positive as the number of murders in the state of Kansas jumped 48% from the previous year and overall violent crimes were up by more than 1,100 across the state.
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