North Dakota, N.D. (KXNET)– Since the pandemic, multiple U.S. states have seen a rise in violent crimes, from mass shootings to human trafficking reports. In North Dakota however, violent crime is up roughly 11 percent from 2021, according to North Dakota Crime Statistics.

The violent crimes that were recorded in last year’s statistics were 31 murders, 216 robberies, 447 sexual assault cases 1,400 aggravated assaults, and 7 human trafficking incidents. That is a total of 2,100 violent crimes, and, according to the stats, 400 of these cases involved a dangerous weapon and 83.7 percent were males.

How are these stats calculated and why are the numbers important for you to know? The Associate Attorney General of the United States says these numbers are important as they help formulate and adjust policies to help provide public safety.

“For many years, the only information we had about crime and violence was what was reported to the police,” said United States Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta. The Bureau of Justice Statistics National Crime Victimization Survey is our country’s main source of information on crime and each year, data are obtained through hundreds of thousands of interviews from criminal victimization to non-fatal injuries.

“The commission uncovered a significant gap between victims’ self-reporting of crimes and crimes reported to law enforcement authorities,” Gupta explains. According to the Bureau of Justice, this has allowed the survey to be continued out on a continuous basis, for it has “great potential for discovering the extent the nature of unreported crime,” which is very common in our country.

“Service calls and arrest reports were our source of data, and while information from law enforcement agencies across the country is critical to understanding the challenges facing our communities, we’ve come to appreciate over time that relying solely on this information doesn’t tell the full story,” Gupta said.

The Department of Justice says without the violent crime survey, they would not be able to provide the right resources to victims affected by these crimes. “It is an essential part of the federal statistical system,” Gupta says. “It provides reliable data to support strategies that promote public safety.”

When it comes down to the resources in our state available to affected victims, one would be “Marsy’s Law” which, according to the North Dakota Attorney General’s website, allows victims to be treated with fairness, and respect.

The Marsy’s Card Victim Rights are as follows:

• To prevent disclosure of information or records that reasonably could be used to locate or harass you or your family, or which disclose confidential information about you, and to be notified of any request for such information.

• To receive reasonable notice of, and to be present at, all
  court proceedings.

• To refuse an interview or discovery request made by the defendant, the defendant’s attorney, or any person acting on behalf of defendant, and the right to set reasonable conditions if you do consent, all consistent with constitutional requirements.

• To be heard in any proceeding involving release, plea, sentencing, adjudication, disposition or parole, and any proceeding where your rights are implicated.

For more information on this law, you can visit the Attorney General’s website North Dakota Attorney General | Marsy’s Law Requirements (nd.gov)