LYNNWOOD— The Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC) data shows Lynnwood had a major drop in violent crime last year, but sex crimes are up.
In 2025 the Lynnwood Police Department clocked a total of 4,014 offenses – 2,308 (or 57.5%) of them cleared. Of these offenses, 2,110 resulted in arrests with 1,866 of offenders being adults and 244 juveniles.
Lynnwood experienced a 94.4 crime rate, per 1,000 residents in 2025 – meaning for each 1,000 residents 94.4 of them experienced a crime in one year. Lynnwood’s population, according to the most recent Census Data, is 42,540.
“While our unofficial motto is ‘All are welcome in Lynnwood,’ I feel like the unofficial qualifier to that should be, ‘unless you’re coming to break the law.’ I am gratified to see statistics show crime is down. We are a city that relies heavily on the retail sector. That reliance means continuing to make Lynnwood a safe and attractive place for visitors is a vital economic pillar for our city. It can be difficult to pinpoint why a reduction in crime occurred,” Lynnwood City Councilman David Parshall told the Lynnwood Times. “I personally believe that consistency is important. While other cities have reduced staffing, only to turn around and increase it once more, Lynnwood has been steady and has continued to have the highest of standards for the hiring and training of our officers. Maintaining that consistency should be our goal going forward, with a continued focus on supporting our officers by striving for full staffing.”
Council member Parshall continued by sharing that he is currently working on finalizing a two-year extension of a supplemental contract between the Lynnwood Police Department and Sound Transit that would increase safety at City Center Station.
“The Lynnwood Police Department is on the right path, and I will continue to support the positive culture and philosophy they are building,” said Parshall.
There were 0 murders in 2025, compared to four reported murders in 2024. However, aggravated assaults jumped 42.6% from 2024 (with a recorded 61 cases) to 87 recorded cases in 2025. Additionally, manslaughter incidents remained unchanged with one recorded incident in 2024 and one recorded incident in 2025.
So far in 2026 there have already been two reported murders.
Sexual crimes, on the other hand, seemed to jump in Lynnwood from 2024 to 2025, except for sodomy (which dropped 60%, from five in 2024 to two cases in 2025).
Rapes in Lynnwood skyrocketed 114% with seven reported cases in 2024 and a total of 15 cases in 2025. Statutory Rape cases also doubled.
Pornographic offenses jumped 150%, from two recorded cases in 2024 to five total cases in 2025. Fondling incidents also increased by 20%.
As with previous years, larceny-theft offenses and drug-related violations made up the bulk of Lynnwood’s total recorded crime data, however both categories saw a stark drop from previous years.
For example, of Lynnwood’s 4,014 recorded crimes, a whopping 1,987 of these were larceny-theft offenses – which is nearly half.
The second highest recorded crime category was drug/narcotic violations with 348 total recorded incidents, followed closely by simply assaults with 343 total recorded incidents.
Still, larceny-thefts dropped 16.8% from 2024 (2,389 incidents) to 2025 and drug/narcotic violations dropped 12.3% from 2024 (397 incidents) to 2025.
Simple assaults, however, rose 3% from 2024 (with 333 incidents).
42% of all drug-related incidents involved stimulants (such as cocaine and methamphetamine) in 2025. The next closest category was opiates (such as fentanyl and heroin) at 29%.
Whenever weapons were used to commit crimes in Lynnwood, most were “personal weapons” at a total of 378. There were a total of 57 incidents involving firearms, 66 involving knives, and 68 categorized as “other.”
There was a total of $9,144,479 in property damages in 2025, which includes property that was seized, burned, counterfeited/forged, destroyed/damaged, recovered, or stolen.
“The overall reduction in crime reflects a larger trend across the state. We’re continuing to monitor this and interestingly, we’re continuing to experience a decline in Group A crimes for 2026,” Lynnwood Police Chief Cole Langdon told the Lynnwood Times.
Chief Langdon added that while overall crime is down in Lynnwood, calls for service have continued to rise. Year-To-Date, the LPD is up 9.6% in calls for service, compared to the same period last year. Calls for service, Langdon said, continue to be the primary workload for the department.
Chief Langdon further speculates that the decline in crime across Washington can likely be attributed to:
- Improved policing practices and strategies, including increased proactive policing as agencies continue to recover from pandemic-related challenges.
- Changes to Washington’s pursuit laws that took effect in June 2024.
- Improved staffing levels at many law enforcement agencies, although staffing challenges remain significant in some jurisdictions.
- The State of Washington’s investment in diversion, deflection, and reentry programs to address substance use disorder and unmet behavioral health needs.
- More efficient court processing and case resolution.
- Community outreach and violence intervention programs designed to prevent crime and address risk factors before incidents occur.
“While we’re cautiously optimistic, it’s important to remember that many factors and forces influence (reported) crime,” said Langdon. “In terms of focus for 2026, we are continuing to strive to hire and train the necessary staff to meet the needs of our community. We’re on the right track.”
Author: Kienan Briscoe
