The FBI recently released statistics on crime for 2023 via the Uniform Crime Report program. This data is organized by state and even department with several categories of violent and property crimes. If you’re curious when we will have 2024 data, it won’t be until the end of 2025!
Crime has been earning political headlines, most recently during presidential debates. We decided to check the numbers ourselves and compare to the Lubbock Police Department.
Lubbock Police Department Data |
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| Crime | 2023 | 2022 | % Change |
| Homicides | 16 | 26 | -38% |
| Rape | 223 | 306 | -27% |
| Robbery | 352 | 349 | 1% |
| Agg Assault | 1,673 | 2,137 | -22% |
| Burglary | 1611 | 2,260 | -29% |
| Larceny – Theft | 5753 | 7452 | -23% |
| Motor Vehicle Theft | 968 | 1,214 | -20% |
| Violent Crimes | 2,264 | 2,818 | -20% |
| Property Crimes | 8,333 | 10,926 | -24% |
| All Part 1 Crimes | 10,597 | 13,744 | -23% |
There are notable differences between the LPD and FBI data, starting with homicides or murders. Five additional murders were counted by the FBI for 2023 vs. the Lubbock Police Department.
Other categories of crime have higher numbers compared to the LPD, which could indicate estimates. The FBI counted 176 additional Rape incidents compared to the LPD department data released earlier this year.
Overall, the percent of change is comparable between the LPD and FBI and shows a large decrease in crime across most categories in Lubbock. Robbery is the only crime that showed an increase from 2022 to 2023.
FBI’s UCR Crime Data from LPD |
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| Crime | 2023 | 2022 | % Change |
| Homicides | 21 | 36 | -41.67% |
| Rape | 399 | 524 | -23.85% |
| Robbery | 353 | 349 | 1.15% |
| Agg Assault | 1,676 | 2,137 | -21.57% |
| Burglary | 1,615 | 2,260 | -28.54% |
| Larceny – Theft | 5,765 | 7,452 | -22.64% |
| Motor Vehicle Theft | 972 | 1,215 | -20.00% |
| Violent Crimes | 2428 | 3010 | -19.34% |
| Property Crimes | 8,435 | 11,009 | -23.38% |
| All Part 1 Crimes | 10,863 | 14,019 | -22.51% |
The FBI further collects data from the Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office as well as Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University. Therefore the numbers below are larger, but they paint a more accurate picture of how crimes have decreased from 2023 to 2022 in the Greater Lubbock area.
Lubbock Crimes from Lubbock Police Department, Texas Tech, Lubbock Christian University, Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office |
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| Crime | 2023 | 2022 | % Change |
| Homicides | 23 | 38 | -39.47% |
| Rape | 439 | 572 | -23.25% |
| Robbery | 367 | 367 | 0.00% |
| Agg Assault | 1,805 | 2,232 | -19.13% |
| Burglary | 1,738 | 2,438 | -28.71% |
| Larceny – Theft | 6,166 | 8050 | -23.40% |
| Motor Vehicle Theft | 1,126 | 1360 | -17.21% |
| Violent Crimes | 2611 | 3,171 | -17.66% |
| Property Crimes | 9,120 | 11,934 | -23.58% |
| All Part Crimes | 11,731 | 15,105 | -22.34% |
The FBI data represents crimes reported to law enforcement as well as cleared criminal offenses that resulted in an arrest. It does not report on criminal convictions or verdicts.
According to the FBI’s UCR guidelines, crimes are included in their database if they have been cleared by arrest or cleared by exceptional means.
Cleared by Arrest when all 3 conditions are met:
- Arrested.
- Charged with the commission of the offense.
- Turned over to the court for prosecution (whether following arrest, court summons, or police notice).
Cleared by Exceptional Means when all 4 conditions are met:
- Identified the offender.
- Gathered enough evidence to support an arrest, make a charge, and turn over the offender to the court for prosecution.
- Identified the offender’s exact location so that the suspect could be taken into custody immediately.
- Encountered a circumstance outside the control of law enforcement that prohibits the agency from arresting, charging, and prosecuting the offender.
If you have been charged, accused or arrested for a crime, book a meeting with Chuck or Fred to discuss your case and options.
