In 2024 in King County, the most likely violent crime was gender based violence, and the most likely victims of crime were women and people between ages 25 and 35, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
In 2024, the office filed 5,070 adult felony cases, with each crime representing one or more victims. The KCPAO handles the most serious crimes in King County.
Crime statistics for 2024
• The most common violent crime was gender based violence, such as commercial sexual exploitation, domestic violence and sexual assault. There were 1,442 cases. Other general violent crimes, which included assaults, were at 1,261 cases.
• There were 109 murders and homicides.
• The most common crimes were property crimes such as burglary, property theft and vehicle theft. There were 1,641 cases.
• A majority of the crime victims whose gender was identified were women, with 2,043 victims. 1,773 victims were men.
• Regarding race, when it was identified, 32.98% were white and 31.06% were people of color. 23.49% of the victims’ race was not identified.
• The most common age group to be a victim of crime was between 25 and 35, with 1,064 victims. The next most common group was between 35 and 45, with 890 victims. The age group with the lowest number of victims was under 18, with 298 victims.
Funding for crime victims
The KCPAO released these crime statistics, highlighting the demographics of victims of crime in King County alongside Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion’s efforts to secure funding for crime victims through voicing her support for Senate Bill 5362.
SB 5362, which aimed to secure funding for victims of crime through 2035, failed during this year’s legislative session. However, KCPAO spokesperson Douglas Wagoner said there’s still some secured funding this year, and Manion will continue to bring forward support at next year’s session.
“This bill died in the Senate fiscal committee. This was a brutal budget year and many good bills with fiscal notes attached did not become law,” Wagoner said. “Supporting resources for crime survivors was Leesa’s top priority and she will fight for this effort again next session.”
According to Wagoner, federal funding for crime survivor services has seen a 90% decrease since fiscal year 2017.
Despite continued funding not being secured for the years to come, Wagoner said the budget that Gov. Bob Ferguson is currently reviewing provides $20 million in one-time, one-year funding, which is available for community-based victim resources such as emergency housing and crisis lines. He said the budget also funds the crime victim witness account at $2 million per year for the next two years. He said this account funds system-based victim advocacy, such as those that are available through KCPAO.
“Our victim advocates work each day to help crime survivors understand the complexities of the criminal justice system, their rights as a victim, and the resources that might be able to address the adverse impacts of victimization,” Wagoner said. “Our deputy prosecuting attorneys and legal service professionals fight for justice on behalf of victims in court, and our entire team works diligently to enforce victim rights.”
Talk to us
Please share your story tips by emailing editor@kentreporter.com.
To share your opinion for publication, submit a letter through our website https://www.kentreporter.com/submit-letter/. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) Please keep letters to 300 words or less.
