By SUZANNE DOWNING
Aug. 26, 2026 – Reported offenses remain nearly 37% below 2018 levels, before Gov. Mike Dunleavy took office, but property crime in Anchorage jumped 19.4% last year under Mayor Suzanne LaFrance.
Thus, Alaska’s long-term decline in crime encountered a setback in 2025, with the number of reported offenses increasing 7.2% statewide, an increase driven largely by worsening crime numbers in Anchorage.
The Alaska Department of Public Safety released its annual Crime in Alaska report Wednesday, showing 19,527 violent and property crimes reported across the state in 2025.
That remains 36.9% below the 30,929 offenses reported in 2018, but it marks a reversal from the recent downward trend.
Except for murder and rape, every major category of crime tracked in the report increased from 2024. Robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft and arson all rose during the year.
The statewide increase was concentrated in the Municipality of Anchorage, according to the department.
Offenses reported by the Anchorage Police Department increased 14.6% in 2025. Property crime climbed 19.4%, while violent crime increased 1.2%.
Outside Anchorage, the picture was considerably different. Offenses reported by the Alaska State Troopers declined 5.9%, including a 6.8% decrease in property crime and a 5% reduction in violent crime.
“Public safety has been job number one for my administration since I took office, and we have made historic investments in law enforcement across the state that has resulted in significant improvements for the safety of Alaskans,” Gov. Mike Dunleavy said.
“While most of the state is much safer today than it was a few years ago, this data demonstrates that Anchorage policy makers must continue to make public safety a higher priority,” he said.
The longer-term numbers show substantial improvement since 2018. Violent crime has declined 17.1% over the seven-year period, from 6,508 offenses to 5,394. Property crime dropped 42.1%, from 24,421 reported offenses to 14,133.
Murders declined from 47 in 2018 to 44 in 2025, while reported rapes fell from 1,188 to 887, a decrease of 25.3%.
Robberies declined 30.8% during the same period, from 896 to 620, and aggravated assaults fell 12.2%, from 4,377 to 3,843.
Some of the largest long-term improvements came in property offenses. Burglaries dropped 53.3%, from 3,975 in 2018 to 1,857 in 2025. Motor vehicle thefts fell 48.4%, from 3,992 to 2,059, while larceny-theft declined 38.4%, from 16,327 offenses to 10,062.
Arson was the only major category higher in 2025 than it was in 2018. Reported arsons increased from 127 to 155, a rise of 22%.
DPS Commissioner James Cockrell said the statewide numbers show progress, particularly within the Alaska State Troopers’ jurisdiction, but warned against complacency.
“Your Alaska State Troopers will continue to work to improve public safety across the state in both urban and rural Alaska,” Cockrell said. “Alaska’s commonsense approach to public safety and the overwhelming support of Governor Dunleavy, the Alaska Legislature, and the citizens of our state continue to drive State Trooper’s crime rates down and make our state a safer place to live, visit, work, and raise a family.”
The annual report uses information submitted through the nationwide Uniform Crime Reporting program. Thirty-two Alaska law enforcement agencies provided data for 2025, representing jurisdictions containing 99.6% of the state’s population.
All participating agencies except the Anchorage Police Department submitted information using the FBI’s more detailed National Incident-Based Reporting System format.
DPS cautioned that the report measures when an offense was reported, not necessarily when it occurred. A burglary committed late in one year but discovered several months later, for example, would be counted in the year it was reported.
The department also noted that federal crime definitions used in the report do not always match definitions in Alaska statutes, making direct comparisons with some state-based reports unreliable.
The complete 2025 Crime in Alaska report is available through the Department of Public Safety
5 thoughts on “Alaska crime rises 7.2%, with Anchorage driving statewide increase”
Anchorage has become a sewer under leftist control. I can’t remember a single time I saw anyone defecating or having sex in public growing up in Anchorage, but now it is a common occurrence. Call the cops? They might show up, and then again, they might not. Gang activity, addicts everywhere, bums camping out in public spaces, overrunning the public library and passing out in doorways, starting fires in the parks and woods. This is the result of not having the will to stop it. And yet, the City continues to spend more than they bring in, to no good effect. I left. I try not to go back. Thanks for nothing, Anchorage leftists.
Law enforcement in Anchorage is non-existent. I’m surprised the statistics aren’t worse than they are. I think a lot of people have given up reporting. Anyone who has called 911 knows what I’m talking about and why.
“Law enforcement in Anchorage is non-existent………”
I disagree. Anchorage Police are shooting criminals left and right, among the highest rate per capita in the nation. I approve. If the criminals are stupid enough to refuse dropping their weapons, they need to be put down.
” Arson was the only major category higher in 2025 than it was in 2018. Reported arsons increased from 127 to 155, a rise of 22%.”
Under Alaska law, you can use lethal force to stop an active arsonist if threat to life is suspected. Not merely defensive action by the subject property owner, but by anybody witnessing the arson.
Not to worry, Mayor Suzanne LaFrance is on the job in Anchorage. She will do exactly what the APD union and the Assembly tells her to do.