(Salt Lake City, UT) — Newly released data from the FBI is revealing that Utah saw a surge in violent crimes last year. The data shows that the state’s homicide rate in 2020 was 24-percent above the ten-year average. Experts with Weber State University say the pandemic may be a reason for the influx of crimes, but there are likely many other factors. Officials with the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office believe court backlogs and a general hostility toward law enforcement are part of the reason for the surge.