KODIAK – The rate of felony sex offenses reported in Western Alaska was more than double the statewide rate last year, according to a state crime report.
A report released this month by the state Department of Public Safety shows the western region had more than 400 felony sex offenses per 100,000 people in 2017, the Kodiak Daily Mirror reported Monday. The statewide rate was about 200 per 100,000 people.
The region includes the Kodiak Island Borough, the Northwest Arctic Borough, Bristol Bay, the Aleutian Islands and other coastal areas. The state compiled the report from data submitted by law enforcement agencies across the state.
While the rate of felony sex offenses in Western Alaska decreased slightly last year, the region had the highest rates in state for the past three years, according to the report.
Across the state, the felony sex offense rate decreased by 4 percent last year, but the number of victims increased by 27 percent.
The state's median age of female victims of sex crimes was 19, with 15 as the most common age, according to the report. The most common age of victims in Western Alaska was 13.
The most common victims of felony sex crimes were Alaska Natives, according to the report. In more than 97 percent of cases statewide, the victim knew the attacker.