Report: Overall crime rate down slightly in Idaho

BOISE (AP) - Idaho's overall crime rate declined slightly for the second year in a row but the number of drug violations and assaults on police officers climbed in 2013.

That's according to the Idaho State Police's latest annual crime report. The ISP report is a compilation of reports from law enforcement agencies across the state.

"Our hope is that the publication will continue to provide law enforcement some assistance in determining their priorities in the fight against crimes," said ISP Col. Ralph Powell in a statement.

Nearly 260 officers reported being assaulted, which was an increase of more than 10 percent compared to 2012 and the biggest jump in the past five years, according to the report. Officers were assaulted the most in Ada County, with 102 officers being attacked, followed by neighboring Canyon County and Kootenai County.

No officers were killed in the line of duty in 2013. The last time an Idaho officer was killed on duty was in 2009.

Crimes against society like gambling offenses and drug sales were up almost 9 percent overall. The biggest drop, however, was hate crimes. There were 32 reported hate crimes in Idaho last year compared to 36 in 2012.

North Idaho's Shoshone County had the highest crime rate, followed by Nez Perce and Kootenai Counties. Ada County, the state's most-populous county, was 12th. Butte County, one of the state's least-populated counties located in central Idaho, had the lowest reported crime rate.

Out of Idaho's 3,231 violent crime offenses, more than half were committed against female victims and 15 percent of all violent crimes were committed against individuals younger than 18.

Statewide, there were 27 murders reported in 2013. That's the same number as the year before.