Shootings, stolen cars and assaults. How safe was Columbus in 2023?

On multiple occasions, Mayor Andrew J. Ginther has said he won't rest until Columbus is the safest big city in America.

While safety is often evaluated in terms of the number of homicides reported in a city, other crimes can indicate what is really taking place.

Here's a look at how crime happened in Columbus in 2023, according to data provided by Columbus police.

Nonfatal shootings in Columbus steady; victims get younger

There were 1,031 nonfatal shootings reported in 2023 in Columbus, almost the same as the 1,015 reported in 2022. Columbus police did not have data that tracks such shootings for years before 2022.

The overall number of felonious assaults, which include stabbings, beatings or other injuries involving serious injury, excluding gunshots, increased by about 50 from 2022 to 2023. Columbus police Assistant Chief Greg Bodker said the police officials are more alarmed by the percentage of people under the age of 21 who were victims of violence.

Opinion:Columbus families are being shattered by alarming surge of brazen teen violence.

In 2022, 31% of victims were 21 or younger. That percentage increased to 40% in 2023. There was also a 40% increase in the number of people 21 or younger identified as criminal suspects.

According to Columbus police, the number of firearms seized increased by 10%. Police also took 341% more Glock switches, devices that can make a semi-automatic weapon fire like a fully automatic gun, and 39% more "ghost guns," which are not able to be traced through traditional methods, off the streets.

Ghost guns often do not have serial numbers or other markers used to trace ownership. The guns can be created using a 3-D printer and are sometimes able to evade metal detectors.

Firearms with a switch can shoot approximately 20 bullets per second, which is faster than the rate of fire of an M4 carbine, an automatic rifle issued to military service members, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

In May 2023, an unknown person in a vehicle fired multiple rounds from a gun with a suspected Glock switch at a home on Aberdeen Avenue on Columbus' Northeast Side, resulting in the death of a 69-year-old grandmother as she was walking into her daughter's home with groceries.

Sexual assault reports up slightly while robberies decline

The number of sexual assaults increased slightly from 2022, with 1,223 reported in 2023. The number of rapes reported in 2023 remained down compared to 2021, when 1,323 were reported.

The number of robberies continued to decline in 2023, with 1,415 total, including 689 reported to have involved a firearm. Columbus police said they did not track the number of armed robberies reported in 2021 or 2022.

The overall number of robberies reported in the city in 2023, 1,415, rose slightly from the 1,307 reported in 2022, according to a Division of Police annual report. There were 2,070 robberies reported in 2021 and 1,946 in 2020.

There were 201 robberies reported by businesses in 2023, another statistic for which Columbus police said they did not have data on for the prior two years.

Burglaries, car thefts continue to be problem

The number of burglaries remained relatively steady year-over-year, with an increase of less than 100 last year from 2022.

Ohio law defines burglary as going into a home or otherwise occupied structure with the intent to commit a criminal offense, such as theft. Robbery is defined under Ohio law as committing a theft with the use of force or the implication or threat of physical harm to the victim or another person.

Car thefts continued to be an issue in 2023, even as the number of cars stolen overall declined from a record high in 2022. The percentage of stolen Kias and Hyundais reached 50% of all stolen cars in 2023, a new high for Columbus, continuing a trend that started in 2021 and that has continued with little to no sign of stopping.

Columbus police also touted six iterations in 2023 of Operation Unity, which are dedicated enforcement efforts in targeted areas that come with wraparound services and other follow-up for impacted neighborhoods. Those efforts resulted in more than 50 firearms being seized, as well as 22 stolen vehicles being recovered and more than 500 grams of fentanyl being taken off the streets.

bbruner@dispatch.com

@bethany_bruner