Idaho saw a decrease in criminal offenses in 2024, continuing a general downward trend observed over the past five years, according to the annual Idaho State Police Crime in Idaho report.

At the statewide level, the report showed that Idaho was improving in the number of criminal offenses, with ISP reporting a 6.6 percent decrease compared to 2023. Idaho’s two largest counties by population saw similar declines in criminal offense over the past year — Ada County observed a 4.72 percent decrease from 2023, while Canyon County’s decrease was pegged higher at 6.36 percent over the same period.

The report, issued by the Idaho State Police Bureau of Criminal Identification, uses the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) for crime reporting. Data is submitted by Idaho’s 107 law enforcement agencies and statewide calculations are calculated off of an adjusted population base of 1.9 million, the report said.

The breakdown of how the state trended in several criminal categories is as follows:

Hate CrimesIn contrast to the overall, statewide trend, hate crimes in Idaho notably increased in 2024, continuing an upward trajectory observed since 2021. The 68 reported incidents last year represented a 21.43 percent increase over 2023.

Of these reported offenses, sexual orientation was the most common motivation, accounting for 17 of the reported offenses. Offenses motivated by race and ethnicity — two separate categories — accounted for 40 of the reported hate crimes. The remaining 11 offenses were motivated by religion with anti-Jewish and anti-Arab sentiments accounting for four and three of the incidents, respectively.

The three agencies that observed the most offenses were the Boise Police Department at 16, the Caldwell Police Department at eight and the Post Falls Police Department at eight.

Crimes Against PersonsCrimes against persons — that involve violence or the threat of violence and whose victims are always individuals — increased 1.36 percent in 2024 for 18,648 crimes reported, exhibiting the smallest change from 2023 among the “Group A” offenses, which are reported regardless of whether an arrest is made.

The most commonly reported crimes within the category were simple assault offenses, which increased 0.57 percent and account for 59.79 percent of crimes against persons.

The number of reported rape offenses increased to 636, up 7.07 percent from 2023, but below the five-year high of 728 offenses reported in 2021.

Though amongst the least common crimes of the category, murders declined by 30.23 percent in 2024, down to 30 from the 43 reported in 2023, a five-year low.

Crimes Against SocietyCrimes against society — which are victimless and named for their harms to the wider community — saw an 8.9 percent decrease compared to 2023 for a total of 25,875 offenses. These crimes can range from drug and weapon law violations to prostitution and pornography offenses.

Drug/narcotic violation offenses, which account for just shy of half of the category, saw an 8.91 percent decrease compared to 2023. With respect to drug seizures in the state, marijuana saw the largest increase by volume, increasing from 4,190 pounds seized in 2023 to 6,405 pounds seized in 2024.

The number of offenses reported at 12,813 puts the state more in line with the 12,330 offenses reported in 2020. Prior to 2024, these crimes had been on an upward trajectory, the report said.

Property CrimeProperty crime, which ranges from theft to bribery, saw a 4.68 percent decrease compared to 2023. The most significant category of these offenses — larceny/theft offenses — account for 40.85 percent of property crime and saw a 4.53 percent decrease from 2023.

Several of the more common categories of property crime observed double-digit percent decreases from 2023 to 2024. Robbery decreased 22.4 percent, burglary/breaking and entering decreased 12.23 percent and motor vehicle theft fell 12.75 percent.

These categories as well as the statewide numbers represent the continuation of a five-year decline, with 2024 seeing 27,489 property crime offenses compared to 36,164 in 2020.

Assaults on Law Enforcement OfficersThe number of officer assaults reported fell to 459, down 8.9 percent in 2024. The number represents an improvement from the five-year high in law enforcement assaults reported in 2023.

About two-thirds of the reported assaults were against city officers, with the Boise Police Department, which reported 73 officer assaults, and the Nampa Police Department, which reported 26 officer assaults, having the highest number of reported incidents.

Though the decline in assaults is a positive sign for the state’s law enforcement, the year was nonetheless punctuated by the death of Tobin Bolter, a 27-year-old Ada County Sheriff’s Office deputy who was shot and killed during a traffic stop in April of last year.

Idaho law enforcement officers being killed in the line of duty remains rare. There are 68 reported incidents on record dating back to 1883, the report said.