After hitting a forty year low in crime rates in 2021, Janesville saw a slight uptick during 2022.

Police Chief David Moore released a number of crime stats Wednesday afternoon, saying violent crimes against persons were down in 2022 while property crimes were up only slightly.

Moore says one area where they saw a big increase was in motor vehicle thefts, as people had discovered a flaw in KIA vehicles which allowed them to break into a rear window and easily defeat the steering column.

The city saw a nearly 20% increase in motor vehicle thefts from 2021 to 2022.

The city saw an overall increase in crime by 6% in 2022 compared to 2021.