CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Charleston Police Department has released a report on crime statistics for 2023.
All Type 1 crimes were down in 2023 compared to 2022 expect for malicious wounding in which there were 61 cases last year and 57 the year prior.
In the City of Charleston, there were five murders, 44 rape cases, 38 robberies, 388 burglaries, over 1,000 cases of larceny, 233 vehicle break-ins and 137 motor thefts.
The Criminal Investigation Division said it solved a total of seven homicides that were investigated in 2023. The national average of homicides solved is down 52.3% from the previous year across the country.
In 2023, there were 144 DUI arrests, which dropped from 178 in 2022.
Overdoses fell in 2023 but overdose deaths did go up. There were a total of 153 overdoses and 40 overdose deaths last year. that’s the most overdose deaths in the city since 2021 (39). In 2022, there were 237 overdoses and 27 deaths.
Of the top five arrest offenses last year, failure to appear in court was number one (644) followed by warrant (521), trespassing (265), littering (229) and domestic battery (217).