North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem reported Thursday that the overall crime rate in the state is level.

However, the homicide rate for 2018 was up, with 17 homicides compared with 12 in 2017. Twelve of the murder victims died as a result of domestic violence. The murder victims included four infants and three children. Guns were used in nine of the reported homicides in 2018.

There was also an increase in other violent crime, with 1,304 reports of aggravated assault in 2018 compared with 1,216 in 2017, representing a 7.2 percent increase.

Property crimes accounted for about half of the reported crimes. Only one-third of the reported $39.3 million worth of stolen property was recovered.

Drug arrests also increased from year to year, with 5,455 drug arrests compared with 5,078 drug arrests in 2017.

There were 598 reports of identity theft in 2018, compared with 389 reports made in 2017. There were 45 reports made of computer hacking, compared with 22 in 2017, and a 37 percent increase in reports of wire fraud.

“Unfortunately the statistics for identity theft, and computer and wire fraud offenses don’t reveal the full extent of the problem, because we know that the majority of victims don’t come forward. For that reason, my office works with local law enforcement, the AARP, and other community groups, to provide prevention and awareness information to help people to identify the warning signs of a scam before they become a victim,” said Stenehjem in the press release.

Stenehjem reported that the overall crime rate was level.

“This year, as always, there is some good news and some bad news. The good news is that overall, the crime rate is level and property crimes still account for half of all crimes. The bad news is that drug arrests are up and again this year, reports of aggravated assault are up,” said Stenehjem in the press release.

The state’s crime rate of 6,339.9 per 100,000 population is down slightly from the 2017 crime rate of 6,373.9. The crime rate is calculated using the Group A offenses, which include the categories of “Crime Against Persons” (such as murder/non-negligent manslaughter, rapes, assaults), “Crimes Against Property” (robbery, burglary, theft, shoplifting, and motor vehicle theft), and “Crimes Against Society” (drug violations, prostitution, animal cruelty).