Violent and property crimes decreased slightly nationwide in 2017 after two years of increases, according to new federal crime data released Monday.

There were an estimated 1,247,321 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2017, a decrease of 0.2 percent over 2016.

In Oregon, however, violent crime rose in 2017.

The FBI collects the information from local, state, federal and tribal law enforcement agencies and releases it annually through its Uniform Crime Reporting Program.

Nationwide, murders in 2017 decreased 0.7 percent, and robberies, by 4 percent. Burglaries decreased 7.6 percent and larceny thefts decreased 2.2 percent.

Seeing increases last year were aggravated assaults, which rose by 1 percent, and motor vehicle thefts, which increased 0.8 percent.

This year’s data saw continuing declines in violent crime in the nation’s largest cities. St. Louis also overtook Detroit as the nation’s most violent big city, per capita. St. Louis (population 310,284) saw 6,461 violent crimes, compared to 13,796 for Detroit (population 670,792).

Despite annual fluctuations, there has been a long-term decline in crime that began in the early 1990s.

Oregon saw a 6.3 percent jump in violent crime in 2017.

There were 104 murders in Oregon reported to the FBI in 2017, compared to 116 in 2016. There were 1,999 rapes reported, compared with 1,784 in 2016.

Of the violent crimes reported, an estimated 1,009 occurred in cities outside metropolitan areas. An estimated 9,878 violent crimes occurred in metropolitan statistical areas.

Of the violent crimes in Oregon in 2017, 349 were committed by juveniles and 3,687 were adults. Of the property crimes committed, 1,833 were committed by juveniles and 17,578 were committed by adults.

Violent crimes are categorized by the FBI as murder, rape, robbery and assault. Property crimes are burglary, larceny-theft, motor-vehicle theft and arson.

Locally, Bend Police Chief Jim Porter discussed several key areas measured by the department.

Calls to 911 are rising at a “manageable” 2.2 percent this year, Porter said, compared to the end of 2017, when they were increasing at a rate of 14 percent.

Nonemergency calls have dropped by 0.5 percent, while officer initiated calls/contacts are up 26 percent.

And for the first time in four years, mental health calls are declining, by 4.2 percent.

This is while officers are taking more people into custody for mental health issues. That figure has risen by 45 percent.

Porter attributes this to the department’s Crisis Response Team being fully staffed for the first time in two years. The team partnered with St. Charles Bend and Deschutes County Health Services to help individuals experiencing a mental health crisis to obtain services.

“We have been able to take the time to address the chronic mentally ill by lawfully holding them and getting them to the professional providers,” Porter said.

In another major swing, stolen bikes are down again by 14.2 percent this year in Bend, according to Lt. Clint Burleigh, public information officer.

“Property crimes and livability issues seem to be at the forefront of most of the issues we see,” Burleigh said.

Most of the calls to Bend Police are for thefts, criminal mischief, trespass issues and drug crimes. Other high-volume calls for service include traffic complaints, crashes, domestic violence and assault.

— Reporter: 541-383-0325, gandrews@bendbulletin.com